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2/20042/2004

magazine

DESTINATIONVIKING

Högskolan på GotlandGotland University

http://viking.hgo.se 2

Viking Heritage Magazine 2/04

TO KNOW ONE'S FATE

It is best for man to be middle-wise,Not over cunning and clever:

No man is able to know his future,So let him sleep in peace.

From Hávámal(Words from "The High One")

AAbboouutt tthhee ffrroonntt ppaaggeeThe unique figurines from Lunda, Sweden. Read more about them in the Editorial above and on page 32. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg, Riksantikvarieämbetet.

Drawing by Lou Harrison, tthhuunnddeerrhheeaarrttssttuuddiiooss@@yyaahhoooo..ddkk

EditorialON THE FRONT COVER of this summer issue we are happy to presentyou with three unique figurines, excavated two years ago in Lundaparish just outside the town of Strängnäs, Sweden. These figurines arejust a few centimetres high and made from gold, silver and bronze.Without doubt they are images of deities or maybe just one god, sincethey all have the same pose, but the question is who?

Although the figurines are dated to pre-Viking times, around 400 -600 AD, they embody a continuous prevailing Iron-age cult before theconversion to Christianity. This summer you’ll have the chance to seethem exhibited in the Old Uppsala Museum. And we hope to come backto them with an article in our next issue.

The meeting with other religions and the religious transition frompaganism to Christianity during the Viking Age, which is a theme ofmany exhibitions and events this summer, affected almost every part ofsociety. What this change meant to the women is the subject of theinteresting article, Viking-age Women, by Birgit Sawyer.

In this summer issue we also offer you some tips for a Viking gardenas well as a few cooking hints. And as always, we try to keep you up-dated on what is happening in the Viking world of today. Thanks to allof you who have provided us with news and suggestions!

Have an enjoyable summer and of course a good read!

Marita E EkmanEditor

Email: [email protected] News

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IN THIS ISSUEViking-age Women 33––66

“The meaning of food” – aboutViking-age food and drink 77––99

Viking-age recipes 1100

Some Viking events in the summer of 2004 1111

Some notes on the productionof Norse padlocks 1122––1133

Excavations at St Ninian’sIsle, Shetland 1144––1166

A Viking family in Normandy 1177––1188

Gotland Viking Island 2005 1188––1199

NNEEWW BBOOOOKKSS 2200––2211

DDEESSTTIINNAATTIIOONN VVIIKKIINNGGThe Vikings take overHistoriska Museet! 2222

The Lords of the River 2233––2244

Grettis saga: Cultural TourismProject and Festival 2255––2266

Kitchen garden at Gunnes gård 2277––2299

Top of the World – NordicMythology on New Stamps 3300––3311

HHEERRIITTAAGGEE NNEEWWSS 3322––3344

3 http://viking.hgo.se


In Snorre Sturlason’s saga about St Olav(in his Heimskringla from the 1230s) twowomen, both called Sigrid, play importantand fatal roles as inciters; one incites herbrother-in-law, the other her husband, tokill Olav and are thus given the mainresponsibility for his fall.

Their incitements were successful buthad consequences they would hardly havewished for; one of Olav’s killers was thefirst to believe in and proclaim the holinessof Olav, and the other was exiled andkilled.

How far can we trust Snorre’saccount of these women and theirroles? When he wrote Heimskringla,c. 200 years after Olav’s death (atStiklestad in Norway in 1030), theoral tradition surrounding it hadundergone great changes.

Another problem is that none ofthe older sources known to Snorrementions these two women byname, nor do they depict themas inciters. This suggests thatSnorre himself created theirroles. The fact that he callsthem both Sigrid indicatesthat he took hisinspiration fromanother, earlier andsimilarly invented,woman called Sigrid, namelySigrid “the strong-minded”,widow of the Swedish king,Erik, first described by the Icelandic monkOdd Snorrason (in the 1190s).

As daughter of a magnate, widow ofKing Erik and mother of King Olof“Skötkonung”, Sigrid was a very powerful,sought-after woman. She was proud anddid not tolerate marriage proposals from“lesser men”. On one occasion she had twoof her wooers (both kings!) burnt, henceher nickname.

The Norwegian king, Olav Tryggvasonwas very attracted to her, and she readilyaccepted his proposal. Olav sent her agolden ring, but when Sigrid discovered

that it was made of gilded copper, shebecame very angry and feared he woulddeceive her even in other matters. Thusthings did not look too bright for Olav,and, when he demanded that she bebaptized, they got even worse: Sigrid flatlyrefused, whereupon Olav refused to marryher, called her a pagan bitch and hit herwith his glove. Sigrid stood up and said:“this may well be the death of you”, andthen they parted.

Sigrid had not uttered an empty threat;she soon married the Danish king, SvenForkbeard and urged him to revenge thehumiliation Olav had caused her. This hedid by defeating Olav in a major sea battle(at “Svolder”, somewhere in the Baltic),during which Olav jumped overboard anddrowned.

We meet women who incite their malekinsfolk also in other sources, both earlierand contemporary, notably in SaxoGrammaticus Gesta Danorum. A common

feature of all these works is that stronginfluential women rarely occur in Christiantimes, but often appear in pagan times andduring the transitional period. Earlierresearch, supposing that sagas and historicalwriting reflected real conditions,interpreted this as meaning that in pagantimes women had been more independent,active and influential than they wereallowed to be after the introduction ofChristianity.

In this way, the myth about “the strongNordic woman” was created, a myth that

has proved to be remarkably persistentand has been the theme of many

publications and exhibitions inScandinavia and elsewhere.

”Myth”? – Is there no truththen in the belief that women inpagan Scandinavia had a freerstatus than their Christiansisters? This question cannot beanswered on the basis of

medieval sagas and history writing; theywere written by Christian authors,describing conditions several hundred yearsbefore their own time, and they had theirspecial, Christian, purposes.

Modern research is consequentlysceptical about the truth of these accounts,and as far as women are concerned, veryfew now believe that active andindependent women disappeared afterChristianization. What really changed wasthe attitude towards women and their rolein society: a pagan – active – woman ideal

Olav och Sigrid. When Sigridrefuses to convert, Olavbursts out: “Why should Iwant to marry you, youpagan bitch?!”, and hits

her with his glove. Ill. by Marianne

Strand.

Viking-age WomenBy Birgit Sawyer

Is there any truth in the belief that women inpagan Scandinavia had a freer status thantheir Christian sisters? Modern research issceptical and very few now believe that active

and independent women disappeared afterChristianization. What really changed was theattitude towards women and their role insociety.



was replaced by a Christian – passive -ideal; according to the Church womenshould be totally subordinate, obedient andself-sacrificing. The highest ideal was thechaste virgin, after her the wife and mother,dedicated to her home, husband, andchildren. Just as Jesus was the man’s head,man should be the head of his woman –according to divine order.

This explains why Christian authorsallow active and independent women toappear only in pagan times, imperfect andchaotic as they were, and why women inChristian times are depicted aspassive and dependent, i. e. aswomen ought to be in divinelyordered times. We are dealingwith propaganda, not withrealities.

We know very little aboutthe status of most women in theViking Age and the earlyMiddle Ages; in our sources wemostly meet land-owningfamilies. I will try to illustratethe dramatic transition frompaganism to Christianity bydescribing a fictional woman,Astrid, a member of a land-owning family, from the day shewas born until (as a 51-one yearold) she wrote her will. Astrid,born in 1015, had a paganfather, Tor, and a Christianmother, Tora, and three eldersiblings, two brothers and asister.

ASTRID’S SAGA –a reconstructionBefore Astrid was born, hermother Tora was very worried; would thebirth go well? Would she give birth to ahealthy child? Would she have a boy or agirl?

The delivery was always dangerous forthe mother as well as for the child, butcontrary to what has long been believed,delivery deaths were not particularlycommon in earlier times, when diseases(like diabetes and rickets), causing seriouscomplications for birth-giving women wereunknown. It was actually not until the 19th

century that delivery deaths became verycommon, because then women more oftengave birth in hospitals, where they wereexposed to bacteria (transferred by doctors,coming directly from ill patients – or fromautopsy). Before that women gave birth intheir own homes, assisted only by otherwomen, and in serious cases magic wasused.

Since Astrid’s mother was Christian, thepagan magic was replaced by a Christianprayer, e.g. ”Mary gave birth to Christ,

Elizabeth gave birth to John the Baptist. Bedelivered in their names. Come out child.The Lord is calling you to light!” (found ona Norwegian rune-stick).

Astrid was born without complicationsand was a healthy child; nevertheless therewas still the question whether she would beallowed to live; as a girl she ran the risk ofbeing exposed. In pagan times it was thefather who decided if a new-born childshould ”be placed on his knee”, that is begiven food and brought up – or if it shouldbe left to die.

There are many indications that femaleinfanticide was more common than male inScandinavia, as in other parts of the world.Since Tor and Tora already had two sonsand a daughter, Tor was not very keen tolet yet another daughter grow up; daughtershad to be endowed with part of the familyproperty when they were married, and withtwo daughters he would have less to give tohis two sons and heirs.

Tora then reminded him that he hadpromised to respect her Christian faith,according to which infanticide was againstGod’s will, and she persuaded him toaccept Astrid and have her baptized. Still,however, dangers were not over; in earliertimes infant mortality was very common

due to bad diet, lack of care and knowledgeabout remedies for illnesses. In order to seethree children grow up to mature age, awoman must have been prepared to havethree times as many pregnancies.

Our Astrid survived the dangerousperiod of infancy and grew up to be a livelygirl, who, however, soon had to abandongames in order to learn as much as possibleabout running the home and the farm. Shemust often have been envious of herbrothers, who spent most of their timeoutdoors, riding, hunting and fighting.

Everything was nothousework; Astrid also gotsome education, which,however, made her more andmore confused, since she wastaught different things by herparents.

From her father she learntabout the “asa-cult” with itsemphasis on honour and war-like virtues (centred aroundthe gods Odin, Tor and Tyr).She also learnt about the”vaner-cult” that emphasizedfertility (centred around thegod and goddess Fröj andFröja).

There were many gods andgoddesses to remember, andAstrid was interested most ofall in the female deities –norns, valkyries, demonicgiantesses, and the propheticVölva. It was difficult tounderstand why the gods hadto accept the decisions of thenorns, who determined the

fate of both men and gods. It was also hardto understand the conflicts between the“vaner” and the “asar” and the differentideals they represented; while the “vaner-cult” underlined fertility and thecontinuation of the family, the “asa-cult”underlined comradeship and loyalty to alord – disregarding all kinship ties. Youprayed to Odin when you wanted victory,and it was to him that warriors came aftertheir death, to Valhall, where the fallenmen fought all day and were rewarded by(everlasting) mead and meat. In this cultthere was no place for women (or non-fighting men); for them there was only“Helheim”, ruled by the black death-goddess Hel. There was no question ofeternal life; you could only live on throughyour descendants.

Astrid must have wondered about therole that female deities played in themythology; they seemed to be morepowerful than the male ones! It was Fröjawho taught Odin to see into the future,

Weaving was women’s responsibility; itwas heavy tiresome work, since theyused standing looms. Drawing by Viktoria Persdotter.



while the Völva taught him about thecreation of the world and its end. We learnabout this in the collection of poems called“the Edda”, which seems to mean“grandmother”, implying that older womenwere considered as wise bearers of tradition.

Astrid also learnt that in daily lifewomen had important roles; they couldsometimes be allowed to act like men,especially if no male relatives were at handto master difficult situations (e.g. to takecare of the farm or exact revenge). Marriedwomen had a strong position, running thefarm, sacrificing to the gods and guardingthe family honour (above all by incitingtheir men to take revenge). Strong womenwere appreciated, not for exercising theirown strength, but because they weresupposed to let their sons inherit it.

What Astrid learnt from her mother wasoften the opposite what she had learnt fromher father. Instead of the emphasis on war-like virtues she was taught about toleranceand mercy, instead of the emphasis onfertility she was taught about chastity,instead of the importance of the family, shewas taught about the salvation of theindividual, and instead of the emphasis onhonour and self-assertion she was taughtabout the Christian ideal of humility.

According to Christian teaching therewas only one – male – God, but Astridmust have found the Trinity, Father, Sonand the Holy Ghost, most bewildering.Swedish rune-stone inscriptions from the11th century show that the missionaries didnot teach about the Trinity, probablyfearing that the pagans would thinkChristianity polytheistic. Instead, theyidentified God with Christ, which explainsthe quite common prayer: ”May God and

his mother help his soul”. Astrid also learnt about life after death,

about paradise, hell, and purgatory. It wasnew to her that magic was regarded as a sin,and that the only true knowledge was to befound in the Bible, which could only beinterpreted by specially trained – andcelibate – male priests. She also learntabout a Christian woman’s duties: to beobedient to her husband, to teach him,their children and servants about theChristian faith, to work against pagancustoms, and to support the representativesof the Church.

It cannot have been easy for Astrid togrow up with such divergent views, and wecan assume that, like many others, shemixed elements from both religiousspheres. There is much to indicate that fora long time Christian teaching hadinfluenced the thinking of manyScandinavians, and we must allow for aprolonged period of syncretism with theChristian God at first considered as one ofmany, later as superior, and finally as theonly true God, a process in which thepagan deities did not disappear but weredemonized.

The saints played an important role,compensating for the loss of the pagandeities, filling the need to pray to specialmediators in different situations. At anearly stage the disappearance of femaledeities seems to have been compensated forby the cult of Maria. It is likely that thiscult had a special appeal to women; therune-stone material from eastern Swedenshows that almost half of the inscriptionswith the prayer “May God and his motherhelp his soul”, are found on stones erectedby or in memory of women.

In general the rune-stone materialsuggests that women were among the firstto accept Christianity. Why? My suggestionis that they welcomed a God who promisedsalvation after death. The belief in paradisemust have filled a huge gulf, and theChristian community had place for all,even the infertile, the abandoned, the poorand the orphans. Women were probablyalso attracted by the Christian prohibitionof infanticide.

Thus, during her upbringing Astrid hadlots of things to think about, and she hadeven more, when, as a 10-year old, sheheard that her father wanted to marry heroff to her cousin, the 30-year-oldHallbjörn, son of her uncle. In this way Torcould ensure the land that he and hisbrother had inherited could be kept withinthe family.

It was important to plan for the future,because both Astrid’s brothers had gone onViking expeditions, and one could neverknow if they would return. Moreover,Astrid’s elder sister was in poor health andunlikely ever to marry.

Astrid was not asked herself, but hermother protested vigorously, referring toChristian rules about marriage. Accordingto the Church girls could not marry untilthey were 12 years old (boys at the age of14); also the girl had to be asked; theconsent of both parties was demanded; Astridand her cousin were too closely related, andthe Church forbade marriages between closerelatives; Hallbjörn had been married beforeand was recently divorced, and he also kepta concubine, whom he wanted to keep afterhis marriage with Astrid. According to theChurch only life-long monogamy wastolerated; divorce was forbidden, and

Ramsundsberget has carvings of scenes from theSigurd saga and the following inscription: “Sigrid,mother of Alrik, daughter of Orm, made thisbridge for Holmger’s soul, her husband andSigröd’s father”.



mutual fidelity an absolute demand.We can imagine the collision between

these contrasting views on marriage; theopposition to the Christian rules can bewitnessed in all medieval law-codes inScandinavia. Thanks to her mother,however, Astrid did not have to marry hertwenty-year older cousin, and when she was14 years old, her father accepted hermarriage to the son of a neighbour, analliance that filled all ecclesiastical demandson a Christian marriage. There were,however, many discussions about the wayin which the bride was to be endowed.

In Scandinavia there were two mainprinciples of inheritance, one according towhich the father decided who was the mainheir and how much should be given to theother children. The main heir was normallythe most suitable son, who took over thefarm, rights and duties. The other childrenwere given their shares when they left thehome.

Astrid’s mother, however, wantedanother principle to be applied, namely theone recommended by the Church,according to which the family propertyshould be divided between sons anddaughters in fixed shares with Jesuscounted as a co-heir. If there were fourchildren, the property should thus bedivided into five shares, one for Jesus andone each for the children. The shares werecalled “head shares”, and the sons countedfor whole, while the daughters counted ashalf, heads. The explanation for this mustbe that a man had to give from his share tohis future wife (“dower”).

Tor had a big farm, lots of cattle and

riches, but if he were to give Astrid and hersister their shares, less would be availablefor his sons. Again we can imagine thediscussions between him and his wife!According to Tor the sickly daughter hadno right to an inheritance, but according tohis wife she – like Astrid – should have herhalf share, because the Church demandedthat everybody give alms.

The tug-of-war over these differentinheritance principles can be followed inthe Scandinavian law-codes, and it is veryinteresting that the Norwegian NationalLaw (1274) as well as the Swedish one (c.1350) compromise between the two. Astridgot her daughter’s share as a dowry(probably as personal belongings, e.g. housefurnishings and jewellery) and also a dowerfrom her husband (in land). We do notknow if the spouses held their propertyseparately or jointly; both are possible.

If Astrid’s husband was Christian, theywould have wanted the blessing of theChurch. Astrid had five children before herhusband died; three died as infants, and asa widow she was responsible for a big farmand two minor sons. She was nowindependent, could make her own

About the authorBirgit Sawyer (earlier Strand) is theauthor of numerous publications inher fields, e.g. Kvinnor och män iGesta Danorum (doctoral thesis),Göteborg 1980, several articles andbooks on women in medievalScandinavia, The Viking-Age Rune-Stones: Custom and Commemorationin Early Medieval Scandinavia, Oxford2000, and, together with her husbandPeter Sawyer, Medieval Scandinavia:from Conversion to Reformation, ca800-1500, Minneapolis 1993 and DieWelt der Wikinger, Berlin 2002. Shehas been a research fellow and asenior lecturer, University ofGothenburg 1986-1996 and is now aProfessor in the Department ofHistory and Classical studies at NTNU(Norway’s Technical and Natural-Scientific University in Trondheim)1996 - present.Email: [email protected]

decisions – and was probably not temptedto marry again.

She got even more responsibility whenher parents died and her brothers werereported as dead. Together with her sistershe then inherited her parents’ farm andwas fully occupied. Unfortunately she alsohad to witness the death of her two adultsons, who fell at the battle of Hastings in1066.

Astrid was then 51 years old; an oldwoman, if we consider the life expectancyat this time (47 years). The fact is, however,that especially the life expectancy of womenseems to have increased during the 11th

century. The rune-stone inscriptions showthat women often survived both husbandsand children.

My Astrid is a fictional person, butundoubtedly there were many women likeher in 11th century Scandinavia. In allperiods women have been strong, enduringand active; we must not put too much faithin literary – and biased – sources!

Trondheim 16/4 2004

The Hillersjö-inscription showshow, on severaloccasions,paternal landpassed from onefamily to anotherby means ofreverseinheritance, andhow, in the end,the widow Gerlöginherited from noless than threedifferent families.



By Malin Lindquist

The County Museum ofGotland is opening anexhibition “The meaning offood” in April where eatingculture over the centuries willbe displayed. A Viking-agetable is going to be set.

The main idea of the Viking, when noton board his ship, is in his role as warrioror tradesman at big feasts. Studying findsfrom excavations we get ideas about hiswhereabouts but the everyday struggle forlife does not leave any obvious traces. One

of the aspects that is disregarded is foodand drink. What was their daily mealwhen ashore and how did they manage tosupply food on their long trips on boardtheir ships, at sea or on the Russian rivers?

Table objectsTable objects were mainly made out ofwood. Unfortunately most of thisperishable material has disappeared,except for a few articles.

From the famous Norwegian Osebergship there are some well-preservedhousehold objects such as barrels, bowls,tubs and even a big metal kettle.

From the Swedish Viking-age shipgrave called Tuna in Badelunda in centralSweden there are some timeless household

utensils as casks, dishes, spoons and so on.Most outstanding are a wooden cup andan elegant spoon for honey or jam. Theseship graves were the women’s graves.

In Birka some elegant funnel-shapedgoblets of glass imported from the glassindustries in the Rhine valley have beenfound.

Due to the near lack of objects we haveto turn to other sources. There are threeor four main sources about Viking-age lifeto turn to: the Gotlandic picture stones,the Icelandic sagas and the Bayeuxtapestry. The testimony of Ibn Fadlan, theArabic ambassador who actually metVikings, is another important source ofinformation. However his opinion is theopinion of a sophisticated MuslimAmbassador meeting with, in his mind,savage Norsemen.

FeastsI think a very common opinion about theVikings is that they were “party-people” –always having big feasts, drinking beerfrom horns (and wearing helmets withhorns). This idea arises from the late 19th

century, during the romantic period whenthe glorious past was honoured. Thesepreconceived notions also give a kind ofidea how “life” in Valhalla was expected tobe: eternal drinking and eating.

However Icelandic literature is full ofinformation and notes which can give usan idea about life and ideas during thisperiod as long as one bears in mind that

“The meaning of food”– aboutViking-age food and drink

Here meat is being cooked and the servants are in attendance. Detail from theBayeux tapestry.

Two men are throwing a party. Notice the waiting dog tothe left. Detail from the picture-stone at Änge, Buttle

parish. (S. Lindkvist: Gotlands Bildsteine)

“Herds know the hour of their going homeand turn them again from the grassBut never is found a foolish manwho knows the measure of his maw”

Hávámal



they were written down some 200 yearslater. They tell mostly about the splendidfeasts, not simple everyday life. We learnthat a tablecloth was used and the meatwas roasted or cooked over an open fire,using spits as also can be seen on theBayeux tapestry.

One of the main virtues mentioned isgenerosity. Meat and bread should beserved. If you could not afford steaks youcould always serve a soup with smallerpieces. White bread on the rich man’stable, black on the poor man’s. A feastcould last for three days and it was goodmanners to invite strangers as well asrelatives and great men.

Mead, the drink of Gods Mead is said to be the drink of theVikings. On the Gotlandic picture-stones,Valkyrians (?) welcome the fallen hero toValhalla with beer or mead from drinkinghorns. The beloved drink is made fromhoney, which gives it a golden colour justlike floating amber. It can be as strong as17 % alcohol and was the drink of theGods, especially Odin. If there was nomead, beer was surely served in drinkinghorns and bowls. Beer was flavoured withhops. Even wine could be served, at leastin high society.

Ibn Fadlan says:

“the Norsemen drink beerand drink all day and night.It is rare that one of thempasses out with the goblet inhis hands.”

It was considered an insult to refuse atoast but there was a balance between“being a man” and not drinking too

much. One should bear Havamal’s wordsin mind:

“Drunk was I then, I wasover drunk

in that crafty Jötun´s court.But best is an ale feast when

man is able to call back his wits at once.”

Even if drinking-horns are to be seenon the Bayeux tapestry and the picture-stones they are never found in Vikinggraves where bowls of glass (Birka),pottery or wooden casks are found. Thehorns or rather their mountings occursome 400 years earlier, during the RomanIron Age.

The daily bread One difference from the big feasts athome or in Valhalla the daily bread wassimple and probably rather monotonous.The Vikings were a bread and porridge-eating people. The household was basedon self-subsistence and storage. Seasonalproducts were important. In order to storefood over the winter there were threemain methods: smoking, drying andfermentation.

The daily food consisted of porridge,porridge and more porridge, made out ofcereal grains, seeds from wild plants orpeas. Bread was surely common as well asblood bread. Of course wild plant andanimal products from the surroundingarea were used but meat, eggs, etc fromdomestic animals were more of anexception, as these animals were rathersmall and not that high producing.

FFrroomm tthhee eexxhhiibbiittiioonn ““TThhee mmeeaanniinngg ooffffoooodd”” aatt tthhee CCoouunnttyy MMuusseeuumm ooff GGoottllaanndd.. PPhhoottoo:: RRaayymmoonndd HHeejjddssttrröömm

About the authorMalin Lindquist is the senior curator andresponsible for the archaeological collections atthe County Museum of Gotland (GotlandsFornsal). She has worked as an archaeologistfor many years, mainly on Gotland. Over theyears, she has contributed several articles toViking Heritage Magazine.E-mail: [email protected]



Milk products were probably alsorather rare. However, there is a certainkind of pottery from a migration periodsettlement (Vallhagar, Gotland) whichindicates the knowledge of making cheeseduring the 5th and 6th centuries.

Food was prepared over an open fire. Itwas mostly boiled, still the healthiest wayto prepare food. A stew with vegetables,meat or fish was probably appreciated.Among vegetables it is said that theVikings brought green cabbage fromEngland. Roasting meat over an open firewas an exception and only used for bigfeasts as we have seen.

As no ovens are known the bread wasbaked on an open fire. (However in thefore-mentioned Vallhagar an oven isfound in one of the houses). To drinkthere was always water, beer or mead.

Of course, we cannot imagine the taste

of this food. Salt was not very common,honey was used for sweetening andperhaps different spices like saffron,brought home from the Orient, were usedexceptionally.

Food on boardOn board the Viking ship the men mostlikely enjoyed the same simplemonotonous food as ashore. Thetradesmen on the Russian rivers couldfind fresh food along the route, while onthe long trips over open seas, porridge,bread and porridge, and mixed, one canimagine, with a fish or more. At thefaraway exotic market places they hadfood they could never have dreamt about.

How to cook on board? From theOseberg ship we know that there was acauldron of iron hanging on a strongchain of iron from a three-legged stand

with claw-like feet. A fire was lit insidethe cauldron and the food cooked in asmaller pot over the fire. Thisconstruction was very practical and stableeven on rough seas.

In life hereafter and on the way thereIn one of the Gotlandic Viking-age gravesfood for the last journey was served. In abronze vessel on a layer of coltsfoot, apike was placed together with four eggs.

Having once reached Valhalla mostlypork was served and the boar Särimnerwas cooked and eaten every evening.

Ibn Fadlan who attended a Vikingcaptain’s funeral in far-off Bulgar notes tohis surprise how people carried on board aship to eat and drink: fruit, bread, meat,onions, two cows, a hen and a rooster tobe divided between the dead chief and hisslave. His dog and two horses followedtheir master on this last journey.

The Vikings probably had a good foodintake but as said somewhat monotonous.According to examined skeleton materialthere are few traces of undernourishment.Due to this healthy way of eating theybecame rather tall. Interesting informationfrom research carried out at the Universityof Stockholm shows for instance thatmainly animal food has been found in thegraves but vegetables at the settlements.Analysing pot shards from sites on theSwedish mainland will tell us in moredetail what they ate, if there were regionaldifferences finer than what can beobserved even today.

Just recently a pot from the late Vikingperiod with some material inside has beenfound on Gotland. We are eagerly waitingfor the analysis of its contents – is itporridge or what?

FFrroomm tthhee eexxhhiibbiittiioonn ““TThheemmeeaanniinngg ooff ffoooodd”” aatt tthheeCCoouunnttyy MMuusseeuumm ooff GGoottllaanndd.. PPhhoottoo:: RRaayymmoonndd HHeejjddssttrröömm



RReeddbbeeeettrroooottssoouupp..PPhhoottoo::LLeennnnaarrttHHaannssssoonn((FFrroomm tthheebbooookkVViikkiinnggaarrssggäässttaabbuudd..))

PPoorrrriiddggee aass iinn tthhee VViikkiinngg AAggee4 servings

10–15 dl water3 dl chopped wheat kernels (soaked overnight) 3 dl pearl barley1 1/2 dl whole grain wheat flour1 1/2 dl crushed nuts3 tablespoons honeybits of fresh fruit, whatever the seasonhas to offer

Put the kernels, flour, pearl barley andcrushed nuts in a pot. Start by pouring10 dl of water in the pot and placing overan open fire. Stir the porridge and turnthe pot to spread the heat. Pour morewater in the porridge if it gets too thick.After 1/2 hour of cooking add the honey,nuts and fruit. Cook the porridge untilthe fruit is moist and soft and it has thedesired consistency, about 15–30 minutes.

RReedd bbeeeettrroooott ssoouupp4 servings

5–6 red beetrootswater1 teaspoon salt/litre of water1 piece of white cabbage2 yellow onions2 tablespoons butter1 1/2 litres bullionsaltpepper1/2 teaspoon cumin1/2 dl chopped parsley

Brush and rinse the beetroots. Put themin boiling, salted water and let them

cook until they are soft, which takesabout 30–40 minutes (depends on theirsize). Pour off the water and let themcool. Peel and cut the beetroots intostrips. Chop the cabbage and onions andfry in butter, then add the bullion and letcook over slow fire for about 15 minutes.Add the beetroots and boil together for aminute or two. Season with salt, pepperand cumin. Add the parsley when serving.

This recipe is from the book Vikingarsgästabud (The Viking Feast) by MichëlFant, Roger Lundgren and Thore Isaksson.

BBrreeaadd

10 dl thick wheat flour5 1/2 dl liquid (buttermilk)1 eggsalt

Knead flour, liquid, egg and salt long andthoroughly. (If necessary add more flouror liquid). Shape the dough into smallbuns and then press them flat and thin.Bake the bread over a glowing fire ontinplates about 2–3 minutes on eachside. It should be light brown and soundhollow when tapped on. The dough canbe sweetened with honey.

Here we present somerecipes that easily canbe made over anopen fire.

Viking-age recipes AViking settlement has beendiscovered along theplanned route of the C= 300m

Waterford City By-Pass. Theauthorities have confirmed that thesite is of special interest and candemand a significant amount ofadditional experience. The site wasfirst located at Woodtown lastAugust. Several artefacts, such asiron nails, rivets and fragments ofpottery have been found throughexcavations. The biggest find yet – aViking sword and a shield, whichnow are being examined andcleaned up in a laboratory.

It is understood the planned roadwould affect one third of the siteand according to the Department ofEnvironment they have twooptions: to protect the site andbuild the road over it or go for a full

Vikingartefactsfound onWaterfordroad route,

Ireland

archaeological excavation. HoweverWaterford City Council’s Directorof Transport Services has confirmedthat re-routing the road is beingassessed. An excavation could add atleast a year to the construction timeand an extra C= 40m to the cost ofthe project. The assessment will beconcluded within a week or two.

The Viking era was an importantphase of Irish history; the Vikingsestablished Dublin, Cork,Waterford and Limerick, Ireland’sprincipal centres to name a few oftheir trading outposts.

Source: Waterford News & Star2004-05-07



VViikkiinngg PPllaayy aatt FFrreeddrriikkssssuunndd,, DDeennmmaarrkkJJuunnee 1188––JJuullyy 44 This year’s performance is called Leifden lykkelige.Phone: +45 47 31 06 85Email: [email protected]

HHeerr´øøppeelleett,, SSaaggaa´øøyyaa,, HHeerr´øøyy,, NNoorrwwaayyJJuullyy 22––44Love and conflict, the rivals meet inarmed combat in the Viking play, TheKing’s Ring. Bold men and fair maidensin a pageant about the Viking Møre-Karl,Olav Haraldsson and Unn, the girl fromHerøy.Email: [email protected]

SSooll--FFeesstt,, AArrddggllaassss,, NNoorrtthheerrnn IIrreellaannddJJuullyy 22––44The summer festival is a celebration oflocal history, heritage and the naturalbeauty of the Northern Irish landscapeand includes a Viking longship regatta,evening banquet at Ballyhornan, aflotilla of vessels and much more.http://www.ardglassvikings.org.uk/

SSiiggttuunnaa MMeeddiieevvaall DDaayyss,, SSwweeddeennJJuullyy 33––44Don’t miss the new Sigtuna MedievalDays festival, in Sweden’s first town,founded in 980. You can enjoy themedieval atmosphere and meet runecarvers, experience calligraphy or learnhow to become a great acrobat! You canlisten to ancient music andperformances, participate in historicalwalking and guided tours and visitcraftsmen in the museum garden.Sigtuna Medieval Days is a joint projectof Sigtuna Turism and Sigtuna Museum.Phone: +46 8 594 806 50Email: [email protected]/turism

JJeellss VViikkiinnggeessppiill,, JJeellss,, DDeennmmaarrkkJJuullyy 22––1188 Every summer for 26 years a Viking playhas been performed in Jels. Thechronicles are enacted in Denmark’smost beautiful open-air amphitheatrewith a view of the Jels lakes. Thesummer 2004 the title of the Vikingchronicles is Kong Skjold which wouldnot be complete without a Vikinglongship.Phone: +45 74 55 21 10Email: [email protected]

VViikkiinngg ffeessttiivvaall,, SStteeiinnkkjjeerr,, EEggggee,, NNoorrwwaayyJJuullyy 1166––1188Welcome to the Norwegian nationalViking Festival located on historic Vikingground at Egge, the home of SaintOlav´s defeaters. The many-facettedfestival program will attract every agegroup and make for excitement frommorning to evening.Phone: +47 93 06 10 91Email: www.vikingfestival.no

VViikkiinngg ccaammpp aatt SSkkääfftteekkäärrrr,, LLööttttoorrpp,,SSwweeddeennJJuullyy 1199––2255Viking camp with market. From ancienttimes to the Vikings.Phone. +46 48 52 22 13www.skaftekarr.se

MMooeessggåårrdd VViikkiinngg FFeessttiivvaall,, DDeennmmaarrkkJJuullyy 2244––2255An annual festival the last weekend ofJuly, with an open-air market where thelocals meet the longships upon theirreturn from their summer raiding andtrading expeditions. Here homemadewares are bartered for exotic ones fromforeign lands. Horsemen show off theirskills and the prowess of their steeds.Vikings from home and abroad displaytheir skills at armed combat. Goods,food and drink are on sale at themarket.Phone: +45 89 42 11 00Email: [email protected]

TThhee SSaaiinntt OOllaavv DDrraammaa,, SSttiikklleessttaadd,,NNoorrwwaayyJJuullyy 2288––AAuugguusstt 11For many people, Stiklestad is bestknown for The Saint Olav Drama, whichis performed each year in the end ofJuly. It’s a historic play dedicated to StOlav and the introduction of Christianityto Norway. The drama will celebrate its50th anniversary in 2004. Visit theMedieval Market with demonstrationsand sales of craftwork as well as music,juggling and food inspired by medievaltraditions.Phone +47 74 04 42 00Email: [email protected]

TThhee OOllaavv FFeessttiivvaall iinn TToorrsshhaavvnn,,FFaarrooee IIssllaannddssJJuullyy 2299A genuine Viking Festival held every yearon July 29th, and attended by peoplefrom all eighteen Faroe Islands. Themarket and games take place just asthey did 1000 years ago with a varietyof events.www.faroeislands.com

SSaallttvviikk VViikkiinngg MMaarrkkeett,, ÅÅllaanndd,, FFiinnllaannddJJuullyy 3300––3311Feasts with handicrafts, food, axethrowing, singing, acting, and muchmore. A four-meter tall Viking woodensculpture welcomes visitors.Phone: +358 18-24259Email. [email protected]

VViikkiinngg FFeessttiivvaall,, WWoolliinn,, PPoollaannddAAuugguusstt 66––88Annual festival with warriors, craftsmen,Viking ships, music and ceremonialgroups.Phone: +48 91 32 61 975, +48 91 32 60471Email: [email protected]

www.jomsborg-vineta.com

TThhee SSwweeddiisshh VViikkiinngg--aaggee aarrcchheerryycchhaammppiioonnsshhiipp aatt FFootteevviikkeenn,, SSwweeddeennAAuugguusstt 22000044This unique championship will bearranged at Foteviken for the secondtime. This is a unique opportunity forvisitors to experience somethingdifferent and unusual. It might eveninspire some visitors to take uphistorical archery themselves!Phone: +46 40 45 68 40Email: [email protected]

VViikkiinngg ddrraammaa aatt SSööddeerraallaa,, SSwweeddeennAAuugguusstt 55––1155The Söderala Vane play is based on alegend from 11th century and tells howSöderala church received the vane. Adrama containing love, humour andexcitement.Phone: +46 27 07 53 53Email: [email protected]

VViikkiinngg eevveenntt iinn AAppuulllleenn,, LLaattvviiaaAAuugguusstt 2277––2299Historic show featuring events in Apullenin 853 – battles between Baltic tribesand Vikings.http://viduramziu.lietuvos.net/pilys/index-en.htm

LLaarrggss VViikkiinngg ffeessttiivvaall,, SSccoottllaannddLLaattee AAuugguusstt––EEaarrllyy SSeepptteemmbbeerrThe Largs Viking festival celebrates theBattle of Largs in 1263 – the end of theViking’s political reign in Scotland. Thefestival includes a Viking Village, themeactivities, live animals, and Battle ofLargs re-enactment, burning of alongship, fireworks display andentertainment throughout.Phone: +44 1294 32 44 94Email: [email protected]

SSoommee VViikkiinngg eevveennttss iinn tthhee ssuummmmeerr ooff 22000044



By Ny Björn Gustafsson

Nowadays we know that Viking-age padlocks were produced inScandinavia, contrary to thetraditional interpretation of themas Eastern imports. And themethod used was not socomplicated…

Most readers of this magazine are familiarwith the island of Björkö in LakeMälaren, Sweden. Excavational work atthe island, executed over four centurieshas produced an enormous wealth offinds, predominately from the VikingAge. These finds, along with the uniquenumber, around 3000, of preserved lateIron-age graves and typical earthworksmake Björkö the most probable locationfor the best known urban centre inViking-age Sweden – Birka.

This article will centre on one of thefind types from Björkö and elsewhere inthe Norse cultural sphere – the padlocks.

Some areas of Björkö have attractedmore interest from archaeologists thanothers. One of these “special” areas iscommonly known as “the Garrison”. It islocated in what was originally a slopingvalley between the summit and a nearbylower point of a small mountain,Borgberget – roughly translating as “theHill-fort Mountain”, which is Björkö’shighest point.

The Archaeological ResearchLaboratory of Stockholm University hasexcavated the Garrison area duringsummer seasons ever since 1997 under thesupervision of Dr Lena HolmquistOlausson. Prior to this, campaigns wereundertaken in 1877 and 1934.

A wealth of finds – most of them of aseemingly masculine character – has beenrecovered. Finds such as arrowheads,knifes and axes stress the militarysignificance of the site.

Several terraces are to be found at theGarrison and on one of them the remainsof a building were found. The so-called“Hall of the Warriors” measuredapproximately 20 by 10 metres. Like mosthouses from the Viking Age, slightlycurved rows of postholes and the floor levelwere the only traces to be found of the hall.

Further up the slope a forgewas excavated a few years later.The whole complex seems tohave been constructed duringthe first half of the 10th

century and the massiveamount of arrowheads at thesite combined with clear signsof fire indicates that it metwith a violent end during thelater part of the century.

The padlocks were found inand around the hall and on alower terrace further down theslope. In all 44 more or lessfragmentary padlocks havebeen found to date – this inan area of less than two acres!

The padlocks have all been of a typethat is fairly common in the Norsecultural sphere – they consist of square ortrapezoid lock-cases brazed together fromiron or copper alloy plates and a spring-mechanism attached to a bent hasp. Themechanism was operated by means of aspatula-shaped key that slid over its wardsand springs and compressed the latter.(fig. 1)

A considerable number of suchpadlocks – as well as other types werefound during excavations at Helgö, anearby island – during the 50’s and 60’s.

They were the second type to beacknowledged at that dig – hence thelabelling Type II.

Several Type II-padlocks were alsofound in the graves at Björkö during the19th century and since the beginning ofthe 20th century. A traditionalinterpretation has been that they wereEastern imports. This was based mainlyon the fact that padlocks of the same typeare still common in some parts of Asia.Recent finds from, for example Björkö’sBlack Earth – the former town area – andRibe in Denmark have shown that thisinterpretation has to be re-considered.

Both at Björkö and in Ribe’s Viking-age cultural deposits, fragments of severelyburnt clay have been recovered. Theseshards all show the same special features –they are burnt to the verge of vitrificationor beyond on the outside, while theirinner faces are not as burnt and showvarious imprints. The sizes and shapes ofthese imprints vary, but some display astriking resemblance to the outer sides ofcontemporary padlocks.

This was first acknowledged by one ofthe archaeologists of the Birka Project,Torbjörn Jakobsson Holback. He analysedthousands of shards, both of the said typeand others, and he came to the conclusionthat padlocks were indeed made inScandinavia during the Viking Age.Jakobsson Holback limited his study tothe ceramic shards – how the locks weremade was left as an open question.

Some notes on the production

Fig 1a and 1b.Padlocks fromthe garrison,find nr. 345 &5063, scale 1:1.

Fig 2. The basic outline of a Tomtlund’sType II padlock



How were they made then? Well, theimprints on the shards leave vital clues tothe process. Several shards displayimprints of narrow twisted rods. Thesecan be matched to the decorative rodsattached to the outer long sides of somelock-cases. Other, finer imprints run inthe opposite direction of the “rod-imprints”. On closer examination theywere apparently made by some kind offine, spun threads that seem to have beentied around the lock-cases.

A probable explanation for the threadsis that the loose parts of a lock-case werelaced together as one piece prior to theirbeing baked into wet clay. Hence this alsoindicates that the lock-cases were brazedin “one piece”, i.e. all joints were brazedtogether in one heating session instead of,as some earlier interpreters had it, onejoint at a time by means of an open torchand a blow pipe.

For the latter method to be successfulthe solder – copper alloy – needs to be ofa different composition for each joint.This to decrease its smelting temperature– otherwise the heat for the soldering of asecond joint would re-smelt the solder inthe first since they smelted at the sametemperature and so on. An open flamewould also render an oxidizingenvironment around the solder, which inturn weakens the joints since solders donot stick as well to other metal faces whenthey are covered by oxides.

Another feature to be taken intoaccount is displayed on the lock-casesthemselves. All the locks from theGarrison are quite severely corroded andmost are fragmentary. On some of thelock-plate fragments the surfacialstructures of the outer and inner sides aredifferent. The outer sides are covered bycorrosion while the insides in turn arecovered by a glaze-like, shiny surface thatappears to be burnt. If these shiny surfacesare combined with the ceramic shards ahypothetical line of production for apadlock-case could be suggested asfollows:

• A jig, somewhat smaller than the finallock-case is made from a burnable, yetsoft material, for example fabric orleather.

• The top, bottom and side plates, alongwith the hasp sheath (fig 1) are laced to

the jig and thin rods of solder matrix,copper alloy, are applied at the would-be joints. If the lock-case’s long sides areto be decorated with twisted rods theseare tied in position on top of thin stripsof additional solder.

• The whole piece is baked into wet clay,which then is allowed to dry.

• The brazing “package” is thereafter putin a furnace and heated until the outerlayer of the clay vitrifies, becomesglasslike and sticky. Inside the packagethe jig burns and consumes all thetrapped oxygen, thus creating areducing environment which in turnrenders better joints.

• The package is allowed to cool and isopened. The carbonised remains of thejig can then be removed through thekey and mechanism holes.

• The outer face of the lock-case ispolished while the inside can not bereached and therefore left as it is.

To test this hypthesis I have performedseveral brazings and the method givesperfectly stable lock-cases with good jointseven when very small amounts of solder(brass) were used.

The method itself was far fromunknown during, at least, the earlymedieval period. The 12th centuryGerman priest Theophilus described amethod to braze iron in his treatise “DeDiversis Artibus” – “Upon Divers Arts” -by means of covering it in wet clay.

In addition to the padlocks from theGarrison three shards of possible brazingpackages were found by the forgementioned above – it is therefore quitepossible that some of the padlocks wereproduced at the site.

An interesting fact is that “clay baking”has been, and still is the traditionalmethod when the joints in tin cattle bellsare coated with brass and soldered – theSwedish word for the technique is“Brasning”. The main difference is thatinner jigs are not neededsince the bells are foldedfrom larger metal sheets

and riveted together – the brazing isperformed to tighten the joints, thusgiving the bells cleaner “voices”. Instead ofa jig a piece of charcoal is put in each bellto create the crucial reducing environmentinside the clay package.

Early medieval bells, such as the onesfrom York show the same general featuresas modern ones. It is therefore quitepossible that padlocks and cattle bellswere produced alongside each other.

Ethnographical sources from 19th

century Sweden also tell of padlocks beingproduced in a similar fashion but it isstated that the actual technique by thenwas long forgotten.

To conclude and sum up this article itcan be said that padlocks were indeedproduced by the Norse population duringthe Viking Age, they were not imports,and they were produced through a simple,yet refined method that with somemodifications survives to this day.

of Norse padlocks FFuurrtthheerr rreeaaddiinngg::Gustafsson, Ny B. 2003 “Bultlås frånBirkas garnison – analys ochrekonstruktionsförslag/Padlocks fromBirka’s Garrison – analysis andreconstruction”.Master thesis in Archaeology. StockholmUniversity. English summary. As PDF athttp://www.archaeology.su.se/pdf/nbgustafsson.pdf

Holmquist Olausson, L. 2002 “Thefortification of Birka: interaction betweenland and sea”. In Nørgård Jørgensen, A.(ed.) Maritime Warfare in NorthernEurope. Copenhagen

Jakobsson, T. 1996 “The bronze work-shops at Birka – a short presentation” athttp://members.chello.se/vikingbronze/birkaenglish.htmOriginally published as: “Bronsgjutar-verkstäderna på Birka - en kortpresentation”, in: Forshell, H. (ed). 1996.Icke-järnmetaller, malmfyndigheter ochmetallurgi, Föredrag från symposium påJernkontoret den 16 mars 1995.Jernkontorets bergshistoriska utskott.Stockholm.

Fig 3. Fragments ofa brazing package,find nr 3313, scale1:1

About the authorNy-Björn Gustafson is anarchaeologist and a Viking re-enactor.Over the years, he has contributedseveral articles to Viking HeritageMagazine.Email: [email protected]



IntroductionSince 1999 a project based at GlasgowUniversity, directed by the author, has beenresearching, surveying and excavating at achapel site on the small island of St Ninian’sIsle, off the west coast of mainlandShetland.

Forty years previously excavations at thesite had uncovered the ‘St Ninian’sIsle treasure’ and the site and thesmall team of excavators who dugit were brought briefly to theattention of the British media.However, although it received lessattention at the time, theexcavators had also found a veryimportant archaeological site.

Renewed excavations, andresearch into the orignal work atthe site have revealed just what aspecial place this was – a site usedfor initially for settlement, later forworship and burial, the evidencefor which spans almost 2000 years.

Earlier ExcavationsEvery summer vacation, between1955 and 1959, Professor A CO’Dell and a small group ofstudents from the GeographyDepartment at AberdeenUniversity, travelled to theShetland Isles to excavate at the siteof a ruined medieval church.

The Shetland Isles lie around340 kilometres north of Aberdeen,340 kilometres west of Norway atthe same latitude as Bergen. Thesite they had chosen is situated onthe east side of a small island calledSt Ninian’s Isle, a smalluninhabited island off the westcoast of mainland Shetland.

This island is joined to themainland of Shetland by a sandyspit, or tombolo, so that the islandis but a short walk across the sandfrom the mainland on all but the stormiestdays or at very high tides. The island rises to50 m above sea level on its west side, with agentle slope down to the sandy beach on theeast side. The site itself is situated above thisbeach at 20 m above sea level, in an area ofdeep deposits of windblown sand.

In 1955, when the team from AberdeenUniversity began digging, their intentions

were simply to find the church, which wasat this point buried beneath several feet ofwindblown sand. Local stories and traditionhelped the team to locate the church and itwas soon uncovered, together with hundredsof burials from the Medieval and laterperiods.

As the excavations progressed in 1956 to

1958 however, more and more complicatedarchaeological features and deposits wereuncovered, and soon the team foundthemselves out of their depth in more waysthan one. Not only had they removedseveral generations of burial and up to sixmetres of windblown sand in places, theyhad also uncovered the beginnings of afascinating and complicated site.

Evidence emerged that the site had beenused for around 2000 years – first forsettlement in the pre-Christian Iron Age,later for worship and burial in the Late IronAge (Pictish) and Norse periods, and finallyas a burial ground for the Shetlandcommunity on the mainland, from theMiddle Ages to the mid-nineteenth century.

Buried TreasureIn 1958 the excavations werethrown into the limelight when aShetland boy who had come tothe site to help out for a day,uncovered a most spectacular findin the east end of the Medievalchurch, below the floorfoundations. Below a stone slabinscribed with a cross he foundwhat he thought at first was asquashed metal helmet andfragments of wood. Carefulinvestigation revealed that it wasactually a carefully hidden hoardof twenty-eight silver objects andthe lower part of a porpoisejawbone, contained in the remainsof a larch wood box.

The objects included sevenshallow bowls, a hanging-bowl, aspoon, an unusual claw-likeobject, a sword pommel, threethimble-shaped mounts, twosword chapes and twelvepenannular brooches. All theobjects were ornately decoratedwith patterns reflecting influencefrom England, Ireland and theprovince of the Picts (parts ofwhat is now called Scotland).Several of the objects remain amystery, not least the strange‘claw-like object’ and the thimble-shaped mounts.

Although the hoard was buriedon an early church site, mostscholars are of the opinion that

the hoard is a secular one, buried aroundthe time of the Viking invasion of Shetlandat the beginning of the ninth century AD.

Professor O’Dell and his studentsreturned to the site for one last year ofexcavation in 1959. By now he realised thathe had uncovered more than he or his teamcould properly deal with, having noarchaeological training at all. No records

Excavations at St Ninian’sIsle, ShetlandBy Rachel Barrowman

Adult male, aged 24-35, re-interred some time in the 11th to12th centuries AD after death from severe traumatic injuriesPhotograph: R. Barrowman.



had been made of the excavations since1955 – no finds numbers, no plans exceptone plan drawn at the end of the excavationin 1959, no numbering of soils or finds, andonly a few sheets of notes or photographswere taken, and these for personal reasonsby the students on the excavations. Thelarge majority of burials removed from thesite were dumped with the spoil in heapsaround the site and over the cliff edges.

The group had by now dug down intothe top of the large mound of windblownsand, and in doing so had created a holearound 15 by 12 metres, and up to 6 metresdeep, around and to the south of the ruinedchurch. At the end of the season in 1959they consolidated the site by filling in theholes below the church with sand andbuilding revetment walls around the areaoutside the church to stop the collapse ofthe windblown sand into the hollow. Fortyyears later on, the site is covered invegetation, but otherwise remains as it wasleft.

Fourteen years after the last season, avolume was published with full research onthe treasure and some of the amazing stonesculpture from the site. The latter includedevidence of an early Christian carved stoneshrine, cross-inscribed stones, a hogbackgrave marker and other Christian sculpture.

In this volume, one of the formerstudents from the site, Dr Alan Small,attempted to give an account of thearchaeological remains, other than thetreasure. However, in the face of no propersite recording at all, he was unable to

produce more than a few pages from thepersonal recollections of colleagues, a fewnotes, and the personal site diaries andphotographs of other students.

New research forty years later on…The St Ninian’s Isle project at GlasgowUniversity was initiated in 1999 with a viewultimately to prepare recommendations forfuture management of this famous site. Thecondition of the site had deterioratedconsiderably due to wind erosion and rabbitburrowing, and the presence of humanbones eroding out of the soil on a regularbasis was becoming a problem.

In contrast, the treasure from the site,which is located in the National Museum ofScotland in Edinburgh, continues to drawattention and debate, and is still the largesthoard of Pictish silver ever recovered. It wasfelt that the balance needed to be redressedbetween the treasure, and the site fromwhich it came.

A large part of the new project wastherefore to research the previousexcavations. However, further survey andexcavations were also undertaken – adocumentary study, topographic survey,geophysical survey and small trial trenchexcavation in August 1999 and the twolarger excavations in July 2000.

In recent years material has come to lightfrom the previous excavations - a note book,

a file of correspondence, slides, photographsand three boxes of finds have been depositedin the Shetland Museum, the ShetlandArchives and the Aberdeen MarischalMuseum. This material is being studied bythe author and it appears that it might bepossible to cross reference some of thesefinds and some of the notes and perhapsbegin to build a picture of the 1950sexcavations. Small scraps of paper wereincluded with some of the sherds of pottery,some with a little sketch or the name of anexcavator, and with some detective work it isbeginning to be possible to try and matchnotes with finds.

A study of the boxes of finds from the1950s excavation has shown that the wholeassemblage is in keeping with a Late IronAge and Norse site including, as well as athousand sherds of Late Iron Age pottery, abroken steatite dish, a glass bead, a spindlewhorl, a clay bead, pumice and animalbone. Three of the burials removed from thesite in 1958/9 have also been located andsubmitted for radiocarbon dating (seebelow).

New ExcavationsAfter four small trial trench excavations in1999, two larger trenches were excavated inJuly 2000. Trench 1 was opened to thesouth of the church over the area of the1950s excavations and Trench 2 to thenorth, in a previously unexcavated area.Although work on Trench 2 is still ongoing,the publication of the results of the Trench1 excavations is due to be completed next

View of St. Ninian’s Isle, across the‘tombolo’, from mainland ShetlandPhotograph: R Barrowman.



year as part of the research into the1950s excavations. The main objectivein this area was to establish achronological sequence for the burialand structural remains, and todistinguish between those featuresexcavated, and possibly reconstructed,forty years previously, and thoseundisturbed by the earlier excavations.

The excavation was very successful,and many exciting features wererevealed. The earliest feature on thesite was an Iron Age structure, whichwas only partially uncovered.Overlying this were two areas ofmidden, one containing much potteryand animal bone, the othercomprising mainly shells. Finds alsoincluded bone beads, large amounts ofIron Age pottery, a broken gaming piece,and worked whalebone. Into these middendeposits two burials were interred, withoutaccompanying cist or grave goods – an new-born child, 0–2 months old, and a four tofive year old young child.

In addition to these burials, four stonecists were also excavated. Unfortunatelythese had already been excavated in the1950s and most of the contents removedand lost. However, one of the cists had notbeen fully excavated, and a burial was foundwithin the cist, which had sunk below thelevel of the bottom of the cist slabs – it ispresumed that for this reason the excavatorsmissed it forty years earlier. This burial wasof an adult male aged 26 to 35 years old,who had been buried in an extremely flexedposition and was only partially articulated –suggesting that the body had been buried,exhumed when semi-decomposed, and re-buried. This individual had also experiencedextreme traumatic injuries, including brokenbones and a slice through the back of theskull with a very sharp object, which nodoubt caused his death. He had been buriedwith an iron knife, which would suggestperhaps a pagan rite. However, radiocarbondating gives a date centred on the twelfthcentury AD.

One burial was excavated from thisgroup of cists in 1959 – a crouched burialof an adult female, aligned north to southand apparently accompanied by a child,within the largest cist on the site. This cistappeared to be set into a wall, which wasexcavated aligned north to south, across thearea.

Adjacent to these features, butundisturbed by the previous excavations, akerbed feature, filled with quartz pebblesand stones, and separated into five‘compartments’ by upright stones, wasdiscovered. The compartments were alignedeast to west, and at the west end of eachcompartment was a small upright

headstone. On the surface of two of theseheadstones were inscribed crosses, both ofthe same form – a double cross withpossible interlacing of the lines and thebeginnings of an interlace design at the base.Beneath the pebbles and stones of thiscomplex, six infant burials were excavated,buried into the midden below.

Adjacent to the infant burials two longcists were excavated, each of which wasempty. These had also been filled withquartz pebbles, and one of the cists had asmaller cist attached to it. A flat schist slabthat had been inscribed with a simple crosscovered this smaller cist. It seems likely thatthese burials all date to the Early Christianperiod, about which little is known inShetland. There are no Iron Age cemeteriesexcavated in Scotland or the Northern Isleswith which to compare these to, and onlyone other (Pictish kerbed cairn) EarlyChristian burial excavated in Shetland.There can be no doubt that the finds fromthe renewed excavations on St Ninian’s Islein July 2000 are of unique importance.

DatingThe three skeletons excavated from the sitein 1958/9 are at present being radiocarbondated. Although these burials are now boxedin a museum and out of context, it has beenpossible to link two of the skeletons withthe correct stone cists excavated in 1958-9and shown on the only published plan ofthe site.

One, a woman dating from the late IronAge (first indications are to around the 5th

century AD) was buried in an extremelyflexed position, with one arm behind herback, and may have been buried with achild. She was buried before Christianity

came to Shetland. The second, a young male, is of

later date, and was buried in theChristian tradition, lying supine,facing east, in a stone ‘long cist’.

The nine burials excavated in July2000 have also been radiocarbondated. The dating of some of theburials is shown to be later than firstthought, placing the entire corpusfirmly around the end of the IronAge and into the Norse period. Inparticular the group of six infantburials have radiocarbon dated tosome time in the tenth century AD.

This is a time of great upheaval inShetland. Christianity had spread tothe islands probably at the end of theseventh, or into the eighth century,

but by the end of the eighthcentury/beginning of the ninth, Shetlandand the north of Scotland were subject toraids by Vikings, and later, Norse settlers,who were themselves still pagan. In fact theSt. Ninian's treasure itself may have beenhidden in the face of an incoming Vikingattack, as experts are of the opinion that itwas probably buried at the beginning of theninth century AD.

A Place ApartThe excavations at St Ninian’s Isle haveraised issues of ethnicity and religion, aswell as date. Although the death of anindividual can be dated, what remains to usin the archaeological record can only hint atthe life of that individual. What is certain isthat both the 1950s and more recentexcavations have revealed evidence of aspecial site, ‘a place apart’, which was chosenfor burial and worship from the earliestcenturies AD and through some of the mostturbulent times in Shetland’s history.

A Selection of objects from the St.Ninian’s Isle hoard. (Copyright: NationalMuseums of Scotland)

About the author Rachel Barrowman, MIFA, FSA Scot, isthe Project Manager for the Vikingand Early Settlement ArchaeologicalResearch Project at GlasgowUniversity, and Director of the StNinian’s Isle project. She now liveswith her husband and two childrenon the Isle of Lewis in the WesternIsles, and is at present working on asurvey of the Early Christian chapelsites of the Isle of Lewis. It isexpected that the results of thecurrent research and work at StNinian’s Isle will be published in2005. Email: [email protected]



By Didier Vimond

I am the president of a small familyre-enactment group called“VEMUNDR, une famille Normande”.We number twenty-three members,including me, my wife, a friend of mineand his wife and some members of myfamily (brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins,nephews and nieces)!

This association aims at showing thepublic a different aspect of the Vikingsand their culture. We try to do the bestwe can with what we have. We don’twant to forget our roots, and we wantother Normans to know about them. InNormandy, the Viking heritage is a partof the collective subconscious, andViking civilization is part of a common

NorthernEuropeanheritage weshare withall otherNordicpeople.The Vikingmythologyremains

deeply rooted in the hearts and minds ofthe people living in Normandy.

Scandinavian colonisation began atthe end of the 9th century, and asignificant amount of Vikings settled

and scattered over numerous colonies inNormandy. In 911, Rolf (or Rollon), aleader of the Seine valley settlers, forcedthe king “Charles Le Simple” toacknowledge his occupation, inexchange probably converting toChristianity and giving the Frenchmonarch military protection.

One of our aims is to improve basicknowledge of the Viking era. Throughthis, we want to show the people theauthentic and genuine aspects of the

Norman cultural background, far fromall the stereotypes and preconceivedideas. Our activity is divided into twostrongly connected parts: genealogy andre-enactment.

Genealogy is the means for us toreconstitute our family tree (theVIMOND). We try and fill in theblanks between our potential ancestorVEMUNDR and the presentVIMOND family. It may seem like awaking dream, however our researchenables us to improve our knowledgeabout the Viking Age and theirdescendants, the Normans. Thisknowledge has to be constantly updatedand serves as a basis for our re-enactment activities.

We not only teach people aboutdates, battles and kings’ names, butrather the forgotten history of everydaylife. They can smell the smoke of camp-fires, touch the tents, clothes, weapons,etc. We really enjoy recreating, acquiringand reliving those artefacts. Childrencan really feel history! In moments likethese we feel very proud to be a Vikingfamily of the third millennium!

A VIKING FAMILY IN NORMANDY– a presentation of the Vemundr family,a Viking re-enactment group in France

From the Vemundr family re-enactment camp. Photo: Didier Vimond

Sigrid andHalvard, theVemundrchildren. Photo:Didier Vimond

Gotland in theyear 1005. Theisland’sharbours andtrading places bearwitness to anextensive trade. Athousand years laterwe know that Gotlandhas the largestconcentration of Viking-age finds in the world. The Gotland Viking Island2005 happening is aimed atboth the people of Gotland andvisitors from near and far.Now, as in the past, wewelcome everyone to ourisland.



During the shows, we are more thana mere re-enactment group, we become“archeonauts”, having travelled in the10th century, bringing back all kinds ofartefacts authenticated by botharcheologist and historians, andpresenting them to the 21st centurypublic.

There is another dimension in thisactivity: nurturing pride andconsciousness of the roots we share withnumerous other peoples throughout theworld. Re-enactment is a strong culturalact: sharing our past to build a betterfuture!

The readers of Viking HeritageMagazine must be aware that in Franceand more particularly in Normandy,there are a lot of Viking re-enactmentgroups. Those groups are able to gathertheir manpower, knowledge, equipmentand teaching capabilities. Therefore theirperformances make a deep impressionon the general public, thus giving thema brand-new idea of the Viking Age.

We have many plans in progress. First, we intend to go back to the landof our ancestors, visit as many sites(museums, archeological sites...) as wecan, then meet the modern-age Vikingsand share their experience andknowledge of the Viking heritage.

Our second objective is to have aViking boat, one more dream for us!

Language checked by Denis Chatonand Luella Godman.

Four main events will depict the life ofthe Vikings over a year. The events will beheld around the island at sites of historicalimportance, where perhaps similaractivities once were held. Throughout theyear experiences, performances,exhibitions, Viking-age handicrafts,courses and activities follow the tracks ofthe Vikings on Gotland and their tradingtrips out into the world.

Another highlight during the year willbe the opening of the exhibition of theSpillings hoard, the world’s largest silverhoard, at the County Museum ofGotland. The hoard weighs over 70 kilos,compared to Sweden’s second largesttreasure find of around 12 kilos! The sizeand the content are an archaeologicalsensation and arouse great internationalinterest.

The many grave-fields, about fiftyharbours and thousands of archaeologicalfinds that have been discovered in the soilon Gotland are all evidence of Gotland’sgreatness during the Viking Age. Over700 silver hoards have been found here.The more than 400 picture-stones datingfrom the Migration Period and VikingAge constitute documents the like ofwhich are not found elsewhere. They giveus priceless facts about the maritimeshipping, tools, religion and prose of thattime.

For all those who are interested in

Vikings it is nearly incredible to thinkthat a single little island can find room forso much cultural history. The evidenceleft by the Vikings speaks an internationallanguage and comprises an internationalheritage well worth seeing.

Four main events will depict theViking Year, 2005.

MMiiddwwiinntteerr bbllóótt February 1–6, 2005Vikingabyn in Tofta is the place wherethe Vikings ensure themselves of agood coming year. Food, music,handicrafts, drama presentations andmarket. The highlight is the blót andfeast with whole grilled lamb in thevillage longhouse.

DDeeppaarrttuurree May 14–16, 2005The departure of the Viking fleet ispreceded by a large feast with a marketfor the trading goods to be sold in theEast and West.

AAlltthhiinnggJune 2–3, 2005The ultimate authority for political, legaland religious matters. People from allover the island gather at the Althing toparticipate in rituals, trade goods at themarket and not least to meet withothers, discuss and have a good time.

About the authorDidier is a professional soldier(warrant officer in the French militarypolice) and mad about Normanhistory. He discovered living historyin the year 2000. From time to timehe leaves his uniform and wears theViking tunic in company of hisparents, his wife Sylvie and theirchildren Sigrid and Halvard.Email: [email protected]

Gotland



HHoommeeccoommiinnggSeptember 24–25, 2005The Viking fleet returns withnew exciting trade goods.The market artisans andtraders meet the peopleof Gotland in asumptuous banquetwith entertainment byfestival performers.

DDuurriinngg tthhee ssuummmmeerrooff 22000055,, severalexciting activitieslike a visit from theViking-age fleet,markets and musicalperformances willtake place. Theprogram will beupdated continually onwww.vikinggotland.com.

In 2005 we travel 1000years back in time. You’rewelcome to join us.

IInnffoorrmmaattiioonnGotland Viking Island 2005 Gotland University+46 (0)498-29 98 34 www.vikinggotland.comRegister on our e-mailing listto get updates on newhappenings.

We offer Viking Age replica artifacts from Denmark and Sweden. TURM A/S,distinguished Danish silversmiths, makes our jewelry from moulds provided by theDanish National Museum. Our glass is from Scanglas AB of Sweden and is also inreplica, made with 1000-year old glass blowing techniques. These pieces are in manyNordic museum gift stores and, owing to their authenticity, have been selected by theSmithsonian and other major U.S. museums for their Viking exhibits. We shipworldwide.

A sketch of a runestone in theMoesgard Museum, Aarhus,

Denmark, depicting a fearsomemask to frighten evil spirits from afallen Viking. We offer this dramatic

piece as a brooch or pendant.

1420 NW Gilman Boulevard – No. 2105, - Issaquah, Washington 98027-5394 USAPlease visit our Website: www.vikingtrader.net * Email: [email protected]

Toll free phone in U.S. 1.800.842.1676

Viking Island 2005

The story continues 15 years laterwhen Harald has been hired on as a

sailor on the raiding ships. Then he getsthe opportunity to become captain on a

ship going off in search of a new land.They are lucky and find a new country,

which they call Vinland. On board the shipis a young boy called Otter, who Harald

takes under his wing in the same way as Riktook care of him.

The novel is meant to be a light amusingread and interesting for readers who appreciate

a Viking-age story. However the front-page ismisleading; according the archaeological

evidence the Vikings never had horns on theirhelmets! Depicting Viking helmets with horns is a much latermix of sources from different cultures.

This novel is a work of historical fiction andtells about the Norse first discovery andcolonisation of America. It’s seen through theeyes of a clumsy yet endearing youth, who isthe only living survivor of BjarniHerjolsson´s voyage in 985.

Against his mother’s wishes, the boyHarald sneaks on board the Viking ship,Mist. After a few days’ journey some ofthe crew members are involved in amutiny. Harald is the only one whosurvives the captain’s revenge. He hidesin the forest and is later found by a man called Rik.Harald stays with Rik, who treats him like a son, for severalyears and they get along very well together. Harald evenconverts to Christianity. The day Harald turns seventeen Rik ismurdered.



In June 1950, Ormen Friske, a replica of aViking ship, was wrecked in the Nordic Sea.All 15 members of the young Swedish crewdrowned. Dead bodies and pieces of wreckagewere washed ashore the coasts of NorthFriesien and Jutland.

According to witnesses, Ormen Friskeended up in a shower of American aerialbombs by mistake, which demanded theship to put into a port of refuge.

Although the relatives and theGerman authorities requested a full inquiry,the Swedish government never investigated the accident.Instead the case was reduced to silence and the blame for thewreck was put on the crew’s alleged lack of knowledge.

With support of Swedish documents and foreign archives,

private photographs, preserved artefactsfrom the ship and interviews, for the first

time this study in contemporaryarchaeological gives a collected picture of the

tragedy, its consequences and remainingmemories.

The book is fully illustrated and containsmany unique photographs. It is distributed by the

author [email protected] and available onlyin Swedish.

Blood EagleA story of Vikings in America

Novel written by Brian Cherry

Published by Publish America

ISBN 1-58851-216-9

N e w

b o o k !

N e w

b o o k !

The loss of the Viking ship Ormen Friske

Written by Rune EdbergSödertörn Archaeological

Studies 2ISBN 91-628-5977-3

DRAMA IN THE SHADOWOF THE COLD WAR



The Viking Way examines the evidence forOld Norse sorcery, looking at its meaningand function, practice and practitionersand the complicated constructions of genderand sexual identity with which these were underpinned.

Neil S. Price attempts to recapture the subtlety and sophistication of Viking mind inwhich the pervasive presence of magic - real magic within a real societywas an integral part of the worldview. In particular, the thesis focuseson the notion of a “super national empowerment of evidence”essentially the way in which the physical prosecution of warfare wassupported by a structure of rituals intended of produce success in

battle. A key element of the proposed explanatory model concerns patterns of

religious interaction between the Scandinavian and Sámi peoples, set in the context ofbroader contacts between these groups, framed against a background study of shamanismand the belief systems of the circumpolar and sub-arctic cultures.

The book is soft cover, 435 pages, well illustrated with beautiful drawings andrepresents one of the most important contributions to Viking studies in recent years.

A 1937 report to theauthorities refers to two aged oakgroves in a moss in Kjula, a smallplace close to the city of Eskilstunain Sweden. The find might shedlight on Eskilstuna’s Viking Age,but nowadays no one knows theactual find location. The groveswere photographed and sampleswere taken, but the find stillremains in the moss.

Gunilla Larsson, thearchaeologist who found thedocuments, which she describes asthrilling, wants to get in contactwith people who might rememberthe find. A magnetometer thatcould sense wood-living microbeswould be too expensive as method.

The report describes a numberof holes with so-called wooden

nails; which indicates that the boatwasn’t made in the area. But howdid a ship of that construction endup in a small lake, that didn’t haveany connection with the sea? Is itpossible that it might be a fertilitysacrifice?

One explanation is that it mightcome from a plundering raid, as itis well known that ravages fromVender, Curer and Estes took placefrom the 11th to the 13th centuriesin the surroundings of valley ofLake Mälaren. Research couldshow how old the find is and, if itappears to be a mercantile ship, itis possible to show which waters itsailed in and the kind of cargo shecarried.

Source: Folket 2004-03-26

The Viking WayReligion and War in Late Iron Age Scandinavia

Written by Neil S. Price Ph.D.Published by UniversityDepartment of Archaeology andAncient History, UppsalaSwedenISBN 91-506-1626-9

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In their new CD Stiklur, the Nordic group Kraukashows that simple sounds from ancient musicinstruments can be transformed into a modernsymphonic universe. They take you on a musicaljourney back in time to when the Vikingculture blossomed over the North Atlanticregion.

The Krauka trio investigates thepossibilities and limitations of instruments

that have their originmore than 1000 years ago. They havedone research on the kinds of instruments thatexisted in northern Europe during this time and from thisinformation they have built their own, while using modern stringsto make the music more powerful. Some of the group’s lyrics have

their roots in the Nordic myths and some deal with issues of today. Theirinspiration comes from folk music, blues and rock.Since 1999 the group has performed in Greenland, Iceland, Faeroe Islands, Poland,

Sweden and Denmark. Their first CD, released in 2001, has been sold around the world.If you want to know more about Krauka and their music see Viking Heritage

Magazine 4/2002 or www.krauka.dk

Krauka: Stiklur

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Forgottenship find canshed light onancientEskilstuna


DestinationVikingDestination Viking is a concept forpresenting the Vikings and theViking Age. It includes museums,visitor centres, prehistoric villages,re-enactment groups etc., and isworking with research, presentationand the development of a trans-national tourist destination.

Destination Viking includes anumber of separate projects,currently the Destination VikingBaltic Stories, funded by theInterreg IIIB Baltic Sea Regionprogramme and the DestinationViking Sagalands project, funded bythe Interreg IIIB Northern Peripheryprogramme. An application forInterreg IIIB North Sea Regionfunding for a Destination VikingWaterlinks project was submitted inMarch.

The Destination Viking projectsare co-publishers of Viking HeritageMagazine, and Viking Heritage is apartner of Destination Viking.

Project consultant for DestinationViking projects:

Mr Geir Sør-Reime, Senior AdvisoryOfficer, Rogaland County Council ggssrr@@rrffkk..rrooggaallaanndd--ff..kkoommmmuunnee..nnoo

Project manager Destination VikingLiving History:

Mr Björn Jakobsen, Director,Fotevikens Museum bbmmjj@@ffootteevviikkeenn..ssee

Project manager Destination VikingSagalands:

Mr Rögnvaldur Gudmundsson,Director, Tourism Research &Consulting rrooggnnvv@@mmmmeeddiiaa..iiss

Co-ordinator of Destination Viking +Viking Heritage partnership:

Mr Dan Carlsson,

Associate Professor,

Gotland University ddaann..ccaarrllssssoonn@@hhggoo..ssee

Viking Heritage Magazine 2/04 DESTINATION

VIKING

The Vikings take over Historiska Museet!This summer between May 8–August 29, Historiska Museet in Stockholm,Sweden, will bring together sagas and myths with real live people and objectsfrom the Medieval Ages in the exhibition The Middle Ages – dead or Lajv.

Among other things an exhibition called Olga and Ingegärd – Viking princessesin the East, will be on display. It deals with two Viking women who becameconsorts to princes in the old Russian Empire and their lives, including excitingtales of adventure, hope, power and religion. Both are now sainted in the East.

A well-preserved crypt found in Kiev in 1998, containing the remains of aScandinavia woman from Ukraine, will be on display to the public. Who wasshe?

This event opens June 24 this year and lasts until June 19, 2005.

On the July 3rd and 4th Storholmen Viking Village from Roslagen will betaking the museum by storm. Fun, games and music will welcome children andadults alike to participate in a fantastic journey in time. Along with the Swedishand Russian Vikings, the Viking princess, Ingegerd, will also make anappearance and tell of her exciting life in the East.

During the season the Storholmen Viking Village in Norrtälje will focus onthe East and women during the Viking Age and the Viking princess herself willof course have a leading role.

For further information: Phone: HistoriskaMuseet +46 8 519 556 46Email: [email protected]

Phone: Viking VillageStorholmen+46 17 65 53 [email protected]

Photo: Per Linusson


By Geir Sør Reime

The fourth ordinary partnermeeting of the DestinationViking Living History (formerlyknown as Destination VikingBaltic Stories) project tookplace in Ale municipalityalong the Göta River inwestern Sweden, May 6–9.

The RiverThe Göta River, or the River as it is calledin the sagas, has played a great role in thehistory of the three Scandinavian realms.Norwegians, Swedish and Danish royaltyand peoples fought for the control of theriver for centuries, and for many centuriesthe three countries’ borders met at themouth of the river. The fight to be theLord of the River is still manifest in thenumerous town and castle remains alongthe river.

Reconstructions of housesThe theme of this meeting was housereconstructions. This is one of the mainthemes of the Living History project.Therefore, a seminar on Viking-age house

reconstructions was a major part of themeeting.

The seminar was a combination oftheoretical and practical approaches to theproblem. At first, experts like JochenKomber and Kristina Carlsson gave the

background and ideas behind the Viking-age chieftain seat now being reconstructedin Ale. This reconstruction is based onfinds from Tisø in Denmark. A dwellinghouse is being reconstructed now. Wewent up to look at it after the theoretical

Viking Heritage Magazine 2/04DESTINATION

VIKING

THE LORDS OF THE RIVER

Here the group is visiting a Bronze-age rock-carving called Stugåsberget found inSkepplanda in the northern part of Ale. Here, as early as the Bronze Age, a ship –almost 3 metres long (the biggest one in the county of Västergötland) – was cuttogether with the image of a wagon. From a historic view this region is characterizedby the fact that important land and waterways met here and the whole economy ofthe region has been based on communications and transport of goods. Photo: Kristina Carlsson

TThhee RRiivveerr sseeeenn ffrroomm tthhee wweesstt ssiiddee.. TTootthhee rriigghhtt iinn tthhee pphhoottoo iiss tthhee vviillllaaggee ooffNNööddiinnggee.. PPhhoottoo:: KKrriissttiinnaa CCaarrllssssoonn


introduction, and spent a long timestudying and discussing its various detailsetc. Currently, the roofing is being laid,and in fact, the house could be used for aViking celebration in the evening.

After the discourse at the building site,there was another practical session centredround use of replica building tools fromthe Viking Age, again a combination oftesting and discussion.

The Ale Viking farm is situated on ahill close to the Göta River and close tothe place where the Äskekärr ship wasfound. When finished, the farm will be asort of chieftain’s seat. This chieftain willagain be a Lord of the River.

Along The RiverOn Saturday, the whole group departedon a study tour along the River. KristinaCarlsson was our knowledgeable andinspiring guide on the tour tracing the oldroutes of trade and power along the River.

We started in Lödöse, one ofScandinavia’s oldest towns. A royal manorwas built here in late 11th century. A fewdecades later, a town emerged on the site.From the middle of the 12th century,Lödöse was one of two places in Swedenwhere coins were minted. Lödöseprobably was a very importantcommercial and administrative centre,and at its height during the 13th and 14th

centuries. Lödöse suffered severely duringthe plague, and in 1368 the town wasburnt by the Hanse. In 1473, partly due

to the fact that the Norwegian chargedcustoms on shipping to Lödöse at BohusCastle, a new town, New Lödöse wasfounded further down the river, at themouth of the Säve River.

Next stop was Nödinge church. Thearea most probably also played animportant role during the early Vikingage, and remains of an 11th centurychurch have been found here. The nameof the village could indicate a Danishorigin and witnesses the mix ofNorwegian, Swedish and Danish influencealong the River for centuries.

Bohus Castle is situated on a high cliffwhere the River splits into two mouths,and it controlled much of the traffic on it.The castle was erected from 1308 onwardsby the Norwegian kings. The castleremained in Norwegian hands until 1658,when the whole province of Bohuslän wasceded to Sweden.

Close to it lies Kungahälla, also one ofthe oldest towns of Scandinavia. The oldtown lies around 2 km west of present-day Kungälv. The town originates fromlate 11th century. Slavs destroyed it in1135, but the town was rebuilt andreached its height in the 13th century. TheNorwegian kings then built a castle onRagnhildsholmen in the river. At thebeginning of the 14th century, itsimportance diminished, but the townlived on until Kungälv was foundedaround 1650.

By Pétur Jónsson,

Chairman for Grettistak ses and

Curator of Reykir regional

museum North Iceland.

He has been called the LastViking. Born on the cusp ofPaganism and Christianity inthe northern part of Iceland.An outcast, a fighter – a lonerwho was stronger thananyone around and hadnothing in common with hisfellows. His turbulent life isrecounted in the famousGrettis Saga.

Grettis SagaThe Sagas of Icelanders are narratives ofadventure and conflict, set in the VikingAge, written down in the vernacular byanoymous authors in Iceland, during the13th and 14th centuries. Most of them takeplace in the unique society the Vikings


VIKING

The project group in front of the dwelling house in Ale. Photo: Kristina Carlsson

The author Pétur Jónsson trying to liftone of the great “Grettistök” in Iceland,which the Saga tells Grettir did lift.


founded in Iceland, but also in countrieslike Norway, Faroe Islands, Orkney andGreenland.

One of the best known of the Icelandicsagas, Grettis Saga tells of the outcastGrettir, who was born at Bjarg nearMi∂fjör∂ur fjord in northern Iceland. Heclashed with society early on and was anunruly child, rebelling against both hisfather and his fellow men. He wassentenced to exile at the Parliamentaryassembly at pbingvellir and spent the bulkof his life roaming around the country,persecuted by his enemies.

Grettis Saga tells of Grettir’s conflictsand confrontations with both natural andsupernatural enemies in Iceland and

Norway, and part of the story focuses onhis travels in Norway. Grettir spent 19years in exile – more than anyone else inIcelandic history – and was finally killedat Drangey in Skagafjör∂ur.

Grettis Saga is the Icelandic saga thathas been preserved in the greatest numberof manuscripts; it has been printed andpublished in numerous languages. Thestory is well known in all of Europe: inGermany, plays based on the saga ofGrettir have been written and performed,the Faeroese have composed poems abouthim; and on the Scottish islands ofShetland the story of Grettir the Stronghas been told by storytellers forgenerations.

The Sagas of Icelanders are not typicalheroic literature, but rather stories offlesh-and-blood humans burdened with aheroic legacy. Grettir is the strongest of allmen, and battles with men and berserks,tomb-dwellers, ghosts, bears, giants andmonsters – defeating them all.

Grettis Saga is a hero-centred storybearing many of the characteristics of agood novel: introduction, climax, anddénouement. It is nonetheless clear thatthe story is based on real-life events andpeople who lived in Iceland around theyear 1000.

Though Grettir himself is no longeramong us, his story lives on in print andin people’s minds. Many places in Iceland,including a number of well-knownhistorical sites, are named after him. Mostof these place names are in Húnapbingwestern county – as Grettir was born atBjarg in Mi∂fjör∂ur fjord. All over Icelandare giant “Grettistök,” huge stones thatGrettir is said to have wrestled with.Grettis Saga makes specific reference toseveral of them.

A plaque commemorating Grettir’smother, Ásdís, has been erected at Bjarg.Also at Bjarg are stone markers describingthe places related to Grettis Saga: thehillock where the church built byÁsmundur, Grettir’s father, once stoodhad built; two “Grettistök” with whichGrettir is said to have wrestled; andGrettispbúfa, where Grettir’s head is buried.

GrettistakIn 2002, a private non-profit organisationcalled Grettistak was founded in WestHúnavatnssysla County. Grettistak focuseson the culture and history of the county,with particular emphasis on Grettis Saga.Its objective is to make Grettis Saga – andother local stories of historical significance– visible and accessible to tourists andlocal citizens alike, and to use these storiesto attract a greater number of tourists tothe area, with the long-term aim offortifying all types of services andcontributing to the build-up of the regionas a whole.

Plans include the establishment of aspecial information centre that will


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Grettis saga: Cultural TourismProject and FestivalDrawing by Halldór Pétursson.


provide information designed to introducevisitors to the region and will include anexhibition and recreation area dedicatedto Grettir the Strong.

Grettistak is a participant in the projectDestination Viking Sagalands, which issubsidised by the European Union’sNorthern Periphery Interreg III BProgramme. The project involves thecollaboration of 15 local projects in 6countries. Among the project’s emphasesis the marketing and promotion of all theparticipating local projects. In addition,the project aims to make places ofhistorical interest more accessible throughthe construction of walking paths andinformational signs, as well as throughfestivals and other organised events.

Since 2002, guided tours have beenprovided at Bjarg, Grettir’s birthplace,every Sunday in June, July, and August.

Grettir Festival Since 1997, a special Grettir Festival hasbeen held in West HúnavatnssyslaCounty. Most often, the festival has beenheld at Bjarg. Sponsors of the festival arethe West Húnavatnss?sla Countymunicipal authorities, the region’s tourismassociation, and a group of interestedindividuals who wish to keep area historyalive.

Until the present, the Grettir Festivalhas been a rather conventional family-oriented affair featuring various types ofentertainment. A guided tour of Grettir’sbirthplace and childhood home isavailable, and guests can learn aboutthe various place names and historicalsites in the area and hear the highlightsof Grettir’s life and saga.

Another festival event is the GrettirCup, wherein local men and womencompete in a “strong man”competition. Participants compete in anumber of tasks – such as draggingcars and lifting heavy objects onto aplatform – and activities can becomequite tumultuous when “huge”Grettistök are heaved into the air.

The festival closes with song anddance and the spontaneouscomposition of traditional Icelandicchanted verses called rímur. TheGrettir Festival plays an increasinglyimportant role in the region’s tourismindustry, and the number of festivalguests grows from year to year.

Festival administration is now inthe hands of Grettistak, and as a partof the Destination Viking Sagalands

project, efforts are being made to increasethe festival’s scope. Future plans includeexpanding the festival’s duration to anentire weekend and providing a widelydiversified programme that will attract abroad range of tourists and other guestswho are in the area for a shorter or longerstay.

In 2003, the festival was expanded toinclude a sumptuous evening ofentertainment the night before the officialGrettir Festival day: a local band played,authors read from their works, chanters

performed rímur, and the play GrettisSaga in 60 Seconds was staged. Inaddition, there was an exhibition ofHalldór Pétursson’s drawings of scenesfrom Grettis Saga. Unfortunately, many ofthese wonderful drawings have not yetbeen published in printed form.

Grettir Festival August 7–8 2004This summer’s Grettir Festival will be heldon August 7–8 2004. At the eveningparty, which will be held on Saturday inthe Community Centre in Hvammstangi,local residents will entertain their guestswith games and music. A lecture onGrettis Saga will be featured, and a danceband will play.

Sunday’s activities will centre on multi-faceted family entertainment at Bjarg inMi∂fjör∂ur. There will be games and“Grettir Tasks” for children of all ages;guests will be offered a guided tour of theGrettir area, and the story of Grettir theStrong will be told.

The indispensable Grettir Cupcompetition will be held, with fine prizesfor the winners in the men’s and women’sdivisions, not to mention the honour ofbearing the title of the area’s strongestresident. There will also be outdoorsinging and dancing, and refreshmentswill be sold at the festival.


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GrettisCup atGrettisFestival

Grettir Ásmundarson. A full-pageillustration in AM 426 fol., late 17th

century.


Practical Iron Age living means the childrenhave to change identity for a day. WithViking names and clothes, they do craftsand other farm work. One group of six toseven young Vikings has to prepare lunch,and we’ll start the day by talking aboutwhat kind of food people ate 1000 yearsago. Then we make a stew of onions,turnip, cabbage, parsnip, herbs and beef. Athin unfermented bread, which the childrenmake on iron pans over open fire, is servedwith butter and honey. When the hornsounds, for the lunch break, the otherchildren eagerly gather in the cookhouse.

Starting upIn April 2000 Gunnes gård suffered a heavyloss, when the byre was destroyed by fire.We had to move the pigs to pasture for thesummer. When pigs root around, theymake a natural job mulching the topsoil, sothis seemed to be a good time to start akitchen garden.

Because Gunnes gård is located in anarea with numerous archaeological remainswe got in touch with the CountyAdministration. They suggested a location


VIKING

kitchengardenat Gunnes gård

The

The herb garden. Photo Julien Siri

By Margareta Nilsson

It’s the month of May. These are busy times at Gunnes gårdwith school children activities, guided tours, the animals thatrecently arrived at the farm and the kitchen garden. For thethird year in a row we have to dig, sow and plant.

“Growing kitchen vegetables adds a female perspective”,says Anna-Cari Lind who has been working here since thebeginning of Gunnes gård, “and a new dimension in our work –where does the food come from. Vegetable gardening is easierthan growing cereals.”

Margareta with the hopbine. Photo Sylvia Rodin


on the grounds and called attention to thefact that prehistoric farmlands were oftenlocated on self-drained, somewhat sloping,and easily cultivated land.

In the spring of 2001, we fenced theplanned kitchen garden, and seeded it withflax (Linum usitatissimum). The decision tostart growing vegetables was preceded bymany intensive discussions about thedevelopment of the farm and the activitieswith school children.

When the co-operation for theconstruction of Gunnes gård started betweenthe Municipality of Upplands Väsby andStockholm County Museum, in 1988–1989,the County Museum had talked about thefuture, and the importance of describing theecological cycle. With the kitchen garden weare now closer to this goal.

In March 2002 we took our next stepinto the future by joining the EU-project,Destination Viking - Baltic Stories. Ouraim is to bring pre-history to life and makeGunnes gård a “living” farmstead.

How old is “old”?The coming of Christianity and themonastic system later on, have usually beenthe explanation of how most of our gardenplants where introduced. But from the 6th

century to the beginning of the 9th, theNorse contacts with Europe and theEastern world grew quickly. The Vikingsbrought home seeds, cuttings and grafts.Among the archaeological finds arehenbane (Hyoscyamus niger), marsh-mallow(Althea officinalis), and opium poppy(Papaver somniferum).

In the search of the kinds of seed thatwere used during the Viking Age, we got incontact with the National Agricultural

Museum of Sweden in Julita and Sesam,the Society for seed-growing and protectionof cultivated plants in Sweden, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation.From Sesam we got field peas (Pisumsativum var. arvense), Shetland cabbage(Brassica oleracea var.capitata) and broadbeans (Vicia faba).

The garden grows Our first harvest gave just enough seed forthe 2003 planting. This year we also hadturnips (Brassica rapa ssp. rapa), onions(Allium cepa, instead of sand leek, Alliumscorodoprasum) and chives (Alliumshoenoprasum).

The kitchen garden is situated in asouthern slope. Along the fence grow threeelder bushes. Elder (Sambucus nigra) hashad a magical significance up to moderntimes. It was grown not too close to thehouse, due to its strong fragrance, theenticement of friendly gnomes and thedeterrent effect on trolls, but also because itcaused headaches. Freya, the goddess oflove, fertility and war, was believed toprotect the elder.

A warm, dry seasonThe spring and summer of 2003 were dryand sunny. The flax came into flower andthe hops were loaded. Small signs told thevisitors what was growing.

The white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var.Capitata, a substitute for leaf cabbage) wassowed late in May and then came thedrought. This made them small and nogreat addition to the cooking. But theturnips were fine. (You can sow them earlyin spring, at a temperature of +10 Celsius,and they are good in casseroles.)

The field peas got some sort of disease,and only produced enough for next year’splanting. Even the broad beans sufferedfrom the dry weather.

Sweet herbs and medical herbs true tothe period in our garden are wildstrawberry (Fragaria vesca), hops (Humuluslupulus) and woad (Isatis tinctoria).

We also have medieval plants such assage (Salvia officinalis) and garden parsley(Petroselinum crispum). They (and yellowonion) are all registered in Charlemagnes’


VIKING

Flax. Photo Julien Siri

Anna-Cari inthegarden. PhotoSylviaRodin


Capitulare de Villis imperialibus, from 812AD, but are not believed to have beengrown in Uppland, in the year 1050.

Harvest In September harvesting onions and flaxbecame a popular task among the schoolchildren. After some drying time indoors,the flax seed cases were ripped off, and welaid the flax on the ground to ret. It makesno difference if flax has been ret or not.You can store it for a very long time –decades and centuries – anyway!

The children heartily dug up weedswhen the harvest ended, in the beginningof October. This was a popular task, whilewaiting for their lunch to be ready. It evenbecame so popular that some childrenrushed to eat, eager to get back to theirdigging.

When the weeding was done, we spreada layer of spoiled hay over the soil. Thiscovering prevents the weeds from growingwhen spring comes. Half dried manure andashes from the hearths can be spread in thefall or the early spring.

The weather turned cold in the middleof October 2003. It began to snow, quiteearly for these parts of Sweden.

Plans for the futureA part of our plan for the future is to be self-sufficient in sweet herbs for our cooking. Weare also thinking of creating a small woodedmeadow in part of the fenced area.

Elm (Ulmus glabra), ash (Fraxinusexcelsior) and small-leaved lime (Tiliacordata) give the animals nutritiousfeedstuffs during winter season in form ofdried leaves. Hazel (Corylus avellana) andGlaucous Dog-rose (Rosa dumalis) busheswould provide us with nuts and rosehips.

A wooded meadow was very importantfor a Viking-age farmstead. It will alsocreate the opportunity for even moreactivities for our school children.

SSoouurrcceess Borgegård, Sven-Olof: ”Jordbruket undervikingatiden i Mälarområdet” essay inBotanisk Tidskrift nr. 84 (1990)

Hansson, Marie & Björn:Köksträdgårdens historia. Signum 2002

Israelsson, Lena: Köksträdgården. Detgröna arvet. W&W 1996

Lundquist, Kjell: ”Arkeologi iträdgården” essay in Populär Arkeologinr. 2 1999

Welinder, S, Pedersen, E-A, Widgren, M:Jordbrukets första femtusen år, 4000 f.Kr.- 1000 e. Kr. N&K & LT 1998


VIKING

TThhee VViikkiinngg HHoommeesstteeaadd GGuunnnneess ggåårrddThe Gunnes gård Viking Homestead is anopen-air museum in a genuine Iron-agesetting. Other sites here include Bronze-ageCairns, Iron-age burial grounds and severalrunic stones. Today the museum consists of adwelling house, a cookhouse, a byre, a pithouse and storage building. It is areconstruction of a Viking homestead in theearly years of 11th century AD. The originalhomestead was discovered duringexcavations at Pollista, Municipality of Håbo.See also VHM 4/02

FFoorr ffuurrtthheerr iinnffoorrmmaattiioonnpplleeaassee ccoonnttaacctt::Gunnes gård, Ryttargatan 270194 71 Upplands Väsby, SwedenTelephone +46 (0) 8 590 849 28 Fax +46 (0) 8 590 303 98E-mail:[email protected]:www.upplandsvasby.se/KFF/kultur/Gunnes/kfgunnestart.htm

PPllaannttss iinnttrroodduucceedd iinn ssoouutthheerrnnSSccaannddiinnaavviiaa dduurriinngg IIrroonn AAggee

Early plants, introduced before 800 AD

VVeeggeettaabblleess::Ground-Elder Aegopodium podagrariaWild Celery Apium graveolensWild Turnip Brassica rapa

SSwweeeett hheerrbbss aanndd mmeeddiiccaall hheerrbbss::Fool’s Parsley Aethusa cynapiumHemlock Conium maculatumHenbane Hyoscyamus nigerRound-leaved Mint Mentha suaveolensOpium Poppy Papaver somniferumVervain Verbena officinalisWhite Mustard Sinapis alba

Plants introduced 800-1050 AD

VVeeggeettaabblleess::Cabbage Brassica oleracea ssp.Chickory Cichorium intybus sativumChives Allium shoenoprasumCreeping Bellflower Campanula rapunculoidesField Penny-cress Thlapsi arvenseGarden Angelica Angelica archangelicaParsnip Pastinaca sativaSand Leek Allium scorodoprasum

SSwweeeett hheerrbbss aanndd mmeeddiiccaall hheerrbbss::Common Comfrey Symphytum officinalisCoriander Coriandrum sativumGarden Cress Lepidium sativumGreater Celandine Chelidonium majusMarsh-mallow Althaea officinalisSoapwort Saponaria officinalisValerian Valeriana officinalisWoad Isatis tinctoria



Top ofthe World

– NordicMythology

on NewStamps

❶

❷

❸

❹

By Geir Sør-Reime

The eight Nordic postal administrations in Marchhave issued a set of eight different stamp issues

with a common theme: Nordic Mythology. The issueis the first of eight celebrating Nordic co-operation.

The next issues will appear 2006 and 2008.The participating postal administrations are those

of Åland, Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Iceland, Norway,Sweden, Finland and Greenland.

11.. The Norwegian stamp. Balder´s funeral. Design: Arild Yttri.

22.. The stamp of Åland. Fenja and Menja. Artist: Juha Pykäläinen.

33.. The Danish stamp. Heimdal and Gefion. Artist: Kim Bjørnholm. Engraver Arne Külman.

44.. The Icelandic stamp. Oden and Sleipner. Design: Tryggvi T Tryggvason.



World of the GodsThe theme chosen for the firstissue was mythology. This includesnot only Norse mythology, butalso Finnish and Greenlandmyths. Except for Åland, everycountry issue two differentstamps. All countries issue thesestamps joined together in a so-called miniature sheet, but severalcountries also issue them in‘normal’ sheets. Norse mythologyis featured on the issues of Åland,Denmark, Faeroe Islands, Iceland,Norway, and Sweden.

The stamp of ÅlandÅland, the only country issuingonly one stamp, has chosen themyth of Fenja and Menja as theirsubject. The myth of the twogiantesses is told in the Old orSaemundar Edda. They were soldas slaves by the Swedish kingFjolner to King Frodi, the Danishking.They were forced to grindgold for King Frodi with themagical mill, Grotte. One night,an army attacked the two women.Their leader took Fenja, Menjaand the mill, Grotte with him.They were then forced to grindsalt onboard his ship and finallythe ship sank due to the weight ofall the salt. Fenja and Menjacontinued to grind salt on thebottom of the sea, and that’s thereason why the ocean waters aresalty.

Heimdal and GefionThe two Danish stamps featurethe two Norse gods, Heimdal andGefion. Heimdal (or Rig as he iscalled in some texts) is asomewhat mysterious figure. Insome texts, he is named as theforefather of men, other texts tellthat Oden is Heimdal’s father. Inany case, Heimdal is the guardianof Ásgard, the home of the gods.He sits on top of a mountain andguards the Bifrost, the bridgebetween the worlds of the godsand men. The Bifrost bridge isvisible for us humans as therainbow. Heimdal blows his horn,Gjallarhorn, to warn the gods ofdanger and when Ragnarok, theend of the world, is coming.

Gefion is a fertility goddess.When Oden had settled in theDanish city of Odense, he sentGefion out to find land. TheSwedish king Gylfe granted her allland that she could plough in oneday. She then gave birth to foursons, whom she made into oxenand with them before the ploughshe separated Zeeland out ofSweden, and moved that piece ofland close to Funen, where Odenresided. The hole left in Sweden istoday Mälaren Lake (according toSnorri). Gefion later marriedSkjold, Oden’s son, who becameking in Lejre and the forefather ofthe Skjoldung royal family.

On the Danish miniature sheet,the border surrounding the stampsshows a map of southernScandinavia, with Heimdalstanding in the lower left corner,watching hordes of fable animalsand giants emerging from the sky.From the north come theRimtussi and the Fenris wolf,from the east the sea giants andthe Midgard orm, whereas theMispel people come from thesouth along with the Nidhugdragon.

The stamps of Faroe IslandsThe Faeroe Islands issue twostamps featuring the god Thor,and the sea-goddess Ran. Thorwas a very popular god on theFaeroes, and their capital,Torshavn, bears his name. Ranhunted seamen with her net anddrowned them in the sea. Herdaughters were the wild waves.

The stamps of IcelandOden rides on his horse Sleipneron the two Icelandic stamps.Sleipner is the horse with eightlegs. On either side of Oden flyhis two ravens, Hugin and Munin.

Njord and BalderThe Norwegian pair of stamps alsoshows two Norse gods, Njord andBalder. The sea god Njord is lordof the winds and rules the sea andfire. Balder, son of Oden and thegoddess Frigg, was the god ofpiety and innocence. The famousBalder myth tells how his mother

took oaths from everything thatnone should hurt Balder. Lokefound out however, that the smallmistletoe had not given the oath.

To prove Balder’sinvulnerability, Frigg invited allmen to shoot at Balder, butnobody could hurt him. Thenhowever, Loke offered Hod, theblind brother of Balder, an arrowof mistletoe. So Hod kills Balder.Balder was put on his ship,Ringhorne, along with his wife,Nanna, who died of shock uponlearning of Balder’s death, andthey both were burnt along withBalder’s horse.

The stamps of Sweden,Finland and GreenlandThe Swedish stamps show awarrior entering Valhall, the Hallof Oden. A woman is greetinghim, probably a valkyria, offeringhim a drink from a horn. Themotif is reproduced from apicture-stone from Gotland.

In addition to the Norse mythson these stamps, the Finnishstamps feature Luonnotar, theMother of Water and the Maidenof the Sky, according to theKalevala.

The stamps of Greenlandillustrate the Moon Man, dressedin polar bear skins, whocontrolled the fertility of animalsand humans, the elements and thehunt. The Northern Lightsilluminates the northern skieswhen the dead play ball with awalrus head.

For further information:http://www.topoftheword.nu/

About the authorGeir Sør-Reime is SeniorAdvisory Officer and projectconsultant for the DestinationViking projects as well as adedicated philatelist.

DrillsforVikingship inVestfoldGravhugen, alsocalled Kjemphaugen,and Oseberg-II inVestfold, Norway,might contain richfindings and possibleremains of a shipburial. A georadarinvestigation by aGerman companylast year showed abig heap of stonesunder the ground.

A number ofholes will be drilledwere the possibleship burial might be.If they don’t findany wooden remainsit doesn’t mean thata ship never hasbeen buried in thegrave. Both inDenmark andEngland ship burialswhere the ships weredecomposed havebeen found.However it ispossible to provethat it is a burialplace even if thereare no woodenremains left.Expectations arehigh as Vestre Romis an area whereViking ships havebeen found earlier.

An excavationwill be expensive andkeep a number ofarchaeologists andconservators busy formany years.

Source: Aftenposten2004-02-09


Viking exhibitionin FranceName: L,Éurope des Vikings (Europe of

the Vikings)Place: Abbaye Daoulas, Finistère

(Brittany) FranceTime: May 14–November 14 2004

There will be a big Viking exhibition thissummer in the cultural centre of AbbayeDaoulas, Finistère (Brittany), France.Under the scientific supervision of theFrench professor Régis Boyer, theexhibition deals with subjects as theScandinavian world, the sea, the raids andthe trading routes.

You will meet Germans andScandinavians, Vandals and Burgunders,and learn about their religion, society, artand handicrafts. Magnificent objects suchas Gotlandic picture-stones and silverhoards as well as jewellery, rune-stones,pottery and manuscripts lent by morethan 40 museums in England, France,Scandinavia and Russia are on display.

During the exhibition there will beprograms for both children and grown-ups.

Further information:http://www.abbaye-daoulas.com/fr/index.html

The Old UppsalaMuseumThe Old Uppsala Historical Center inSweden, has changed its name to The OldUppsala Museum. During the 2004 seasonsome of the signs and information materialwill be changed and from the first of May2005 the new name will be fully established.

The museum is located at the three hugelegendary grave hills from the pre-Viking age(400-550 AD), known as “Kungshögarna”(the Kings’ mounds) in Uppsala, Sweden.This place is one of the most legendary cultsites in the Nordic countries and one of themost important centres of what was later tobecome Sweden.

Summer season 2004Blot, heathen rites, sacrifices and contactwith gods is the common theme during theseason at the Old Uppsala Museum in 2004.Reminders of human beings’ attempts toappease the gods, such as weapons, amuletsand human bones, will be shown in themuseum.

In July Vikings with boats will set upcamp outside the museum, and children willbe occupied with a lot of activities, likecamps with weapons, acting, cooking andstorytelling.

The figurines from LundaAmong the exhibits this summer are theunique figurines from Lunda, see the frontpage. They are just a few centimetres high,made from gold, silver and bronze, and werefound two years ago outside Strängnäs in themiddle of Sweden. It’s not very common to

NEW VISITORCENTRE – VIKINGSON WIERINGEN

The Dutch Viking Foundation and themunicipality of Wieringen announce theopening of the only visitor centre in theNetherlands entirely devoted to thecountry’s Viking heritage – with anextensive emphasis on Wieringen –scheduled for 1 July, 2004.

More information in the next issue ofViking Heritage Magazine and on thewebsite www.vikingen.nl.Information:[email protected]

Heritage NewsViking Heritage Magazine 2/04

Viking-ship harbour found onthe west coast of Sweden

Archaeologists believe to have found a Viking-ship harbour at Köpstad, Galtabäckalong the coast of Halland in western Sweden. So far a number of south Gothichouse grounds from the 11th century have been excavated. The find might well bean archaeological sensation. Nowhere along the west coast has a medieval harbourever been excavated. As early as 1920 the Galtabäck ship was found at the mouthof the Galtabäck River.

The harbour’s situation reminds of other medieval harbours especially onGotland. It is still a secret if the area also constituted a shipyard, however it isestablished that all human activities came to an end during the 14th century, whichthe experts believe might depend on the Black Death.

Source: Göteborgs-Posten 2004-05-17

find these kinds of artefacts among otherfinds that put them in a context. All threefigurines have the same pose, which mayindicate that they represent the same ÆsirGod.

A lecture on the figurines will be held inthe museum on June 20 at 2 pm, when theresponsible archaeologists from the Lundaexcavations, Gunnar Andersson and SaraFritsch, will tell you more.

Later this year a book about them will bepublished. The book is called Att föraGudarnas talan – figurinerna från Lunda(Representing the Gods – the Figurines fromLunda) and it has been written by thearchaeologists from the Lunda project.

The museum will be open daily from May 1–August 31 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. For further information seewww.raa.se/gamlauppsala andwww.raa.se/gamlauppsala/pdf/sommarprogram2004.pdf

The Iron Age horse Sleipner, with hiseight legs, was the saddle horse ofOdin. Copyright: RAÄ


Ales stenar is considered one of thecultural monuments and best known ofSweden’s ship settings from the VikingAge. This grandiose monument is locatedat Kåseberga on the south coast ofSweden. Its length of 67 m and width of19 m make Ales stenar the largest shipsetting in Scandinavia. It consists of 58large granite blocks, some of which areover 2 m high. The front block exactlymarks the spot where the sun sets atmidsummer and the back block the pointof sunrise at winter solstice.

Believed to have been raised in the lateViking Age, it is not clear whether thearea was an actual grave or a cult centre.The name might be traced to the oldGothic word ahls, meaning holy place.

Every year more than 600 000 visitorsare amazed by Kåseberga´s magnificentship setting and scenery. The wide interestin the area creates increasing demands fora long-term approach to preserving thearea’s culture and nature values. A co-operation between the municipality, thecounty administrative board and theCentral Board of National Antiquities hasled to a joint program to enhanceexperience of the region.

This summer there will be guided tourswith experienced guides who will allowvisitors to get a wider view over theregion’s history and nature. There are alsoplans to set up a visitors’ centre, whichwill inspire visitors to visit other areas inthe neighbourhood.

New exhibition inthe museum ofBirka, Sweden

The 2004 summer exhibition in Birka iscalled Thor, Christ and Allah – about Godsand people in Birka. Here you can meet upwith people who have been living in Birkaand others who might have been visitingthe Viking town. Other than heathenNorse you also have the opportunity toget acquainted with Christianmissionaries, concubines, Khazares andSami people.

Food and drink are the theme of theseason, since the actual meals were ofspecial importance to the Vikings. In theworking Viking-age kitchen you canwatch Viking meals be prepared, you canalso watch films about the warriors ofBirka and follow the new archaeologicalexcavations.

This summer, the Viking team, MälareKölar will build a Viking-inspired boat,the smith will forge and craftsmen workwith wood and skin handicrafts.

The museum will be open daily July 3–August 22 between 10.30 a.m.–6.30 p.m.

For further information: www.raa.se/birkaor Birka Museum +46 8 560 514 45

Heritage NewsViking Heritage Magazine 2/04

A runic inscription found ten years agoin Dalgety Bay, Fife, in Scotland, hasprovided evidence that Vikings oncemight have settled in the area. TheVikings are known to have ransackedFife in the Middle Ages but there hasbeen little means of proof of theirsettlement before this find. Runicinscriptions are rare on the mainland ofScotland and archaeologists find itamazing that it has been found in a

lowland central Scotland position.The meaning of the inscription,

probably dating from the 9th to 12th

century AD, and the kind of runes, stillremains a secret. The runes include threegroups of letters, a collection ofconsonants and vowels, presumablyinitials of three separate Norseindividuals. There is no way of usingscientific methods for dating the items,but it’s possible to look at the way the

stone is cut. Experts from CambridgeUniversity have been contacted to helpin solving the problem.

A similar runic inscription has beenfound on a glacial boulder called thePittarthie stone, which may have beenused by Vikings to mark their farmlandboundaries.

Source: The Herald 2004-03-08

RUNIC INSCRIPTION COULD SHEDLIGHT ON VIKING SETTLEMENT

In the vicinity ofAles stenar (Ale’s Stones)

Ales stenar. Photo: Bengt A Lundberg, RAÄ.


The expedition inVittfarne´s wakeThe Vittfarne expedition has arrived inGammelsvenskby in Ukraine. After years ofplanning, a lot of complications, blood,sweat and tears, the boat is now launched,rigged and ready to sail. The great Vikingadventure, Expedition Vittfarne, is finallybeginning!

The expedition’s destination is the townof Baku in Azerbajdzian, where they plan toend up in the middle of August. They areusing the Viking ship-replica, Himingälva,built by Håkan Altrock, to make theiradventure come true: following in the stepsof the Viking chief Ingvar the Far-Travelled.

If you want to know more about theexpedition see Viking Heritage Magazine2/2003 and 3/2003 or visit their home pagewhere you will be able to follow theirjourney: www.vittfarne.com

Excavations on theisland of Samsø,DenmarkIn 1967 a landowner in Søby, on the islandof Samsø, found a late Viking-age trefoilbronze piece on his property. This event ledto a big excavation of the area in 1978. Søbyappeared to once have been a Viking-agevillage. Eight well-preserved pit houses werefound; one of them turned out to haveserved as a weaving house. The houses havebeen quite small just 4 x 4 meters incircumference.

Now, after all these years, it is time againfor another excavations of the 1000-year-oldvillage. Archaeologist Jeppe Gejr Larsen is incharge of this excavation that already hasrevealed several new-found pit houses.

Source: Århus Stiftstidende Netavis

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V king HeritagemagazineHeritage News


Once again –Silver hoard fromthe 8th centuryfound on Gotland,SwedenAbout 280 silver coins were recently foundon Gotland when a landowner was workingin his garden. He notified the antiquarianauthorities of the island who were soonable to ascertain that yet another hoard hadbeen found. Investigation of the findlocation with a metal detector enabledthem to identify the actual deposit site,which will be fully excavated.

So far the treasure consists of acollection of coins and silver spirals, mostof them German but there are also coinsfrom England, Denmark and Italy. Thecoins are dated preliminarily to the years1020–1050. The hoard is now underexcavation and will later be displayed atThe County Museum of Gotland.

According to the archaeologists the findis interesting because of its unusuallocation; no other ancient remains havebeen found near by. The collection mightbe the result of a trade journey to

Germany, says Kennet Jonsson, aStockholm University coin expert, and onceagain it indicates the important mercantileposition Gotland enjoyed as a tradingcentre.

Nowhere in northern Europe have asmany hoards of silver from the Viking erabeen discovered as on Gotland. Until now,over 700 precious metal finds have beenregistered. These consist primarily of silvertreasures, spread evenly over the island.

Archaeologist Leif Zerpe and thelandowner’s family admiring some of the silver coins just found inthe garden. Photo: Gunilla Wickman-Nydolf

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Remarkablefinds in centralSwedenExcavations in Råsvalslund, Lindesberg,Sweden during 2003, resulted inremarkable finds. The archaeologistsfound graves from 9th century andsettlements from 12th century. The peoplewho lived there probably worked in aironworks.

The find is amazing as Vikingsettlements in central Sweden are veryrare. The artifacts, silver and bronze piecesof jewellery, tools and fishing equipmentare all of high status.

One of the dwelling houses seems to bemade of timber, a modernity from theregion that we now call Russia. Previouslyhouses of this kind have only been foundin bigger cities. It’s now desirable that thearea serve as an attraction.

The artifacts are on exhibition in theCounty Museum.

Source: Bergslagsposten 2004-03-17

AAddvveerrttiissee iinn tthhee mmaaggaazziinnee aanndd ggeett tthhee aatttteennttiioonn ooffrreeaaddeerrss aarroouunndd tthhee wwoorrlldd!!

11//22000022VViikkiinngg--AAggee wwoommeenn iinn rruunneess ppiiccttuurreess•• FFrreeyyjjaa,, aa ggooddddeessss ooff lloovvee aanndd wwaarr

•• TThhee wwoommeenn iinn wwaaggoonn bbuurriiaallss •• FFrroomm VViikkiinngg AAggee ttoo tthhee MMiiddddllee AAggeess

•• MMjjööllllnniirr,, TThhoorr’’ss hhaammmmeerr

22//22000022VViikkiinnggss oonn SSaaaarreemmaaaa ((ÖÖsseell))•• SScchhlleesswwiigg aanndd HHaaiitthhaabbuu

•• WWooooddeenn ddiisscc •• WWoooolleenn ssaaiill •• NNeeiigghhbboouurrhhoooodd ooff TTrreelllleebboorrgg

•• VViikkiinngg mmoovviieess

33//22000022IInn tthhee ffoooottsstteeppss ooff tthhee VViikkiinnggss

•• DDeessttiinnaattiioonn VViikkiinngg BBaallttiicc SSttoorriieess•• TThhee ggaammee ooff KKnnáátttteelleeiikkrr •• TThhee

ccuulltt ssiittee ooff RRöössaarriinngg •• FFiilltthhyyVViikkiinnggss?? •• VViikkiinnggss iinn FFllaannddeerrss

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44//22000022•• NNeeww eexxccaavvaattiioonnss iinn SSwweeddeenn aanndd

RRuussssiiaa •• IImmaaggiinnaarryy VViikkiinnggss •• DDuubblliinnnn’’ss VViikkiinnggss •• FFoorrttrreesssseess

iinn EEssttoonniiaa aanndd LLaattvviiaa •• GGuunnnnee’’ss ggåårrdd

11//22000033GGoollddeenn VVaanneess •• TThhee NNoorrtthh AAttllaannttiicc

VViikkiinngg HHeerriittaaggee RReessoouurrcceess •• MMaassccuulliinnee–– FFeemmiinniinnee –– HHuummaann –– aabboouutt aa VViikkiinngg--aaggee ggrraavvee--ffiieelldd •• TTrraannssvveessttiittee VViikkiinnggss??

•• AA VViikkiinngg--aaggee TTuummoouurr •• KKaauuppaanngg

22//22000033TThhee MMaammmmeenn ssttyyllee ffrroomm WWeessttPPoommeerraanniiaa •• VViikkiinnggss iinn RRuussssiiaa::

MMiilliittaarryy AAffffaaiirrss ppaarrtt 11 •• UUkkrraanneennllaanndd •• PPhhiillaatteelliicc VViikkiinnggss •• GGoollddeenn VVaanneess

•• VViikkiinnggss iinn MMeellbboouurrnnee

44//22000033VViikkiinnggss iinn NNoorrtthh AAmmeerriiccaa –– NNeeww aanndd OOlldd

•• TThhee KKeennssiinnggttoonn RRuunneessttoonnee •• •• LL’’AAnnssee aauuxx MMeeaaddoowwss aanndd NNoorrsstteeaadd ••

•• AAnn eeaarrllyy NNoorrssee ffaarrmm aatt NNaarrssaaqq,,GGrreeeennllaanndd •• DDiieett aanndd ttaabblleewwaarree iinn WWoolliinn

33//22000033VViikkiinngg AAggee ggllaassss bbeeaaddss ((ffiivvee

aarrttiicclleess)) •• CCuullttuurraall ttrraannssmmiissssiioonn •• CChhiillddrreenn’’ss ggrraavveess •• DDeessttiinnaattiioonnVViikkiinngg SSaaggaa LLaannddssccaappeess aanndd SSaaggaaRRoouutteess •• TTrroonnddaarrnneess •• TThhee OOrrkknneeyy

IIssllaannddss •• TTaabblleett WWeeaavviinngg

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11//22000044AA SSiillvveerr HHooaarrdd ffrroomm IIssllee ooff MMaann •• VViikkiinnggss iinn NNoorrtthh AAmmeerriiccaa ••

DDiissccoovveerriinngg VViikkiinngg hheerriittaaggee mmiilliieeuuss iinnDDeennmmaarrkk •• TThhee FFaarr RRoouutteess ooff HHiissttoorryy

–– aabboouutt tthhee FFaarrooee IIssllaannddss •• EEiirrííkkssssttaaddiirr,, IIcceellaanndd

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